Gaffe?

Google at its recent developers’ conference demonstrated an artificial intelligence voice that was so real people were saying it could pass the Turing test. But now, doubt has been raised about the demo because no one outside the company can say whether it was staged or real.  Google won’t reveal which salon it contacted, if it did, and a news organization has taken to calling salons in the Silicon Valley area to determine if they answer the phone the same way as heard in the demo. So far, they haven’t. The medium claims Google’s demo was fake. This has sparked a discussion. How much artifice is too much?  If Google did construct a false demo, it would be a gaffe in this instance. Google was trying to show it has mastered the human voice and response to some human queries. If it hasn’t, it deserves to be held to scorn. If it has, its technological feat is amazing. Only the company knows, and it is not talking. This is a time for transparency.