I find it extremely difficult to believe that Eurisko actually worked as advertised, given Dr. Lenat’s behavior when confronted with requests for the source code.
What I find truly astounding is the readiness with which other researchers, textbook authors, journalists, etc. simply took his word for it, without holding the claim to anything like the usual standards of scientific evidence.
It’s useful evidence that EURISKO was doing something. There were some extremely dedicated and obsessive people involved in Traveller, back then. The idea that someone unused to starship combat design of that type could come and develop fleets that won decisively two years in a row seems very unlikely.
It might be that EURISKO acted merely as a generic simulator of strategy and design, and Lenat did all the evaluating, and no one else in the contest had access to simulations of similar utility, which would negate much of the interest in EURISKO, I think.
I find it extremely difficult to believe that Eurisko actually worked as advertised, given Dr. Lenat’s behavior when confronted with requests for the source code.
What I find truly astounding is the readiness with which other researchers, textbook authors, journalists, etc. simply took his word for it, without holding the claim to anything like the usual standards of scientific evidence.
He did win the Trillion-Credit Squadron tournament.
Well, Lenat did. Whether or in what capacity a computer program was involved is an open question.
It’s useful evidence that EURISKO was doing something. There were some extremely dedicated and obsessive people involved in Traveller, back then. The idea that someone unused to starship combat design of that type could come and develop fleets that won decisively two years in a row seems very unlikely.
It might be that EURISKO acted merely as a generic simulator of strategy and design, and Lenat did all the evaluating, and no one else in the contest had access to simulations of similar utility, which would negate much of the interest in EURISKO, I think.
How many of them made use of any kind of computer? How many had any formal knowledge applicable to this kind of optimization?