f expressing rudimentary emotions. These programs could be used to enable a computer to tell when its operator is sad or angry. In the words of Waldrop, "such a computer could then be programmed to make the appropriate responses - saying comforting words in the first case, or moving the conversation toward a less provocative subject in the second." As Waldrop points out, this behavior would make it seem as if the computer was "empathizing" with the operator. In defense of those who believe that computers might someday be able to imitate human beings, Waldrop claims that people can be easily confused on this issue if they only think of a computer as a cold, empty machine consisting of lights and switches. This perspective changes dramatically when a person imagines the type of robot that might be possible in the future: "A computer equipped with artificial eyes, ears, arms, legs, and skin - even artificial glands." This type of android is often seen in science fiction books, movies and television shows. The issue of whether a computer shares human traits becomes more confusing when it is made to look and act like a human being.Despite the efforts of the AI proponents, they have not yet been able to create a machine that is truly capable of simulating the human mind. The process of creating this type of computer has turned out to be much more difficult than the researchers of the 1950s anticipated. Furthermore, since the 1960s, there has been a group of scientists who disagree with the idea that a computer can ever have a human-like consciousness. In actuality, the belief that a machine is incapable of thinking can be traced back to the seventeenth century and the theories of the French philosopher Rene Descartes. However, this argument gained new life in the 1960s, in rebuttal to the efforts of AI researchers such as Alan Turing and others. The opponents of AI research feel that there is something unique about human natur...
