Experiments with a Deductive Question-Answering Program

As an investigation in artificial intelligence,
computer experiments on deductive question-answering 
were run with a LISP program called DEDUCOM, an acronym
for DEDUctive COMmunicator. When given 68 facts, 
DEDUCOM answered 10 questions answerable from the facts.
 A fact tells DEDUCOM either some specific information 
or a method of answering a general kind of question.
 Some conclusions drawn in the article are: (1) 
DEDUCOM can answer a wide variety of questions.  (2)
A human can increase the deductive power of DEDUCOM 
by telling it more facts.  (3) DEDUCOM can write very
simple programs (it is hoped that this ability 
is the forerunner of an ability to self-program, which
is a way to learn).  (4)DEDUCOM's search procedure 
at present has two bad defects: some questions answerable
from the given facts cannot be answered and 
some other answerable questions can be answered only if
the relevant facts are given in the "right" order. 
 (6) At present, DEDUCOM's method of making logical deductions
in predicate calculus has two bad defects: 
some facts have to be changed to logically equivalent ones
before being given to DEDUCOM, and some redundant 
facts have to be given to DEDUCOM.

CACM December, 1965

Slagle, J. R.

CA651214 JB March 6, 1978  3:34 PM

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