Dialogue with Machines

Abstract

If by “dialogue” we mean dialogic reasoning as in “Socratic dialogue”, today’s computers are not capable of it: their interactivity is limited to strictly obeying predefined commands and answering simple queries within a single logic domain. This mode of communication is not even at the linguistic level of the stone ages. The issue here is whether computers based on closed logic are principally able to develop a genuine ability for dialogue. The author describes a new “polylogic“ approach which holds potential for innovative cognitive computing and dialogic applications in communication and the arts.