Contextual understanding by computers

  • Authors:
  • Joseph Weizenbaum

  • Affiliations:
  • Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge

  • Venue:
  • Communications of the ACM
  • Year:
  • 1967

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Abstract

A further development of a computer program (ELIZA) capable of conversing in natural language is discussed. The importance of context to both human and machine understanding is stressed. It is argued that the adequacy of the level of understanding achieved in a particular conversation depends on the purpose of that conversation, and that absolute understanding on the part of either humans or machines is impossible.0