Robotics Reference
In-Depth Information
story, in part by exploiting its knowledge of a theme. Next it generates
the plot for the story, using the characters identified in the “stage setting”
phase, as well as its knowledge of the domain and the specified theme,
to generate a scenario of what action takes place and how the various
characters react to that action. This scenario in turn generates a list of
consequences, each of which is inferred from the program's knowledge
of the “rules” that govern what consequences result from each possible
type of action. For example, if character A hits character B, one result
will be that character B becomes upset. These consequences are gen-
erated as a sequence of events, and since BRUTUS knows the order in
which these events happen, the program is able to structure the story with
events happening in the correct order. Next the structure of the story is
expanded on the basis of the program's story grammars, with a list of
appropriate sentence types being generated along the way. Finally the
program's linguistic and literary knowledge are employed for the genera-
tion of the language, including the choice of appropriate vocabulary and
phrasing.
The following example of BRUTUS' writing is entitled simply “Self-
Betrayal.”
Dave Striver loved the university—at least most of the time. Every
now and then, without warning, a wave of well, it was true: a wave
of hatred rose up and flowed like molten blood through every cell in
his body. This hatred would be directed at the ghostly gatekeepers.
But most of the time Striver loved—the ivy-covered clocktowers,
the ancient and sturdy brick, and the sun-splashed verdant greens
and eager youth who learned alongside him. He also loved the fact
that the university is free of the stark unforgiving trials of the busi-
ness world—only this isn't a fact: academia has its own tests, and
some are as merciless as any in the marketplace. A prime example
is the dissertation defense: to earn the PhD, to become a doctor,
one must pass an oral examination on one's dissertation.
Dave wanted desperately to be a doctor. He had been working to-
ward this end through six years of graduate school. In the end, he
needed the signatures of three people on the first page of his disser-
tation, the priceless inscriptions which, together, would certify that
he had passed his defense. One of the signatures had to come from
Professor Hart.
Well before the defense, Striver gave Hart a penultimate copy of his
thesis. Hart read it and told Striver that it was absolutely first-rate,
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