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Can a stochastic process be considered 'automation'? (sh.itjust.works)

submitted 4 weeks ago by patatas@sh.itjust.works to c/asklemmy@lemmy.ml

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Thinking specifically about AI here: if a process does not give a consistent or predictable output (and cannot reliably replace work done by humans) then can it really be considered "automation"?

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[–] howrar@lemmy.ca 8 points 4 weeks ago (1 children)

Consider this example:
You have a road that forks and joins up again. You need to reach the end of this road and have a vehicle that takes you there without your input. At the fork, it will flip a coin and choose to either take the left fork or the right fork depending on the results. This agent is therefore stochastic. But no matter what it chooses, it'll end up at the same place at the same time. Do you consider this to be automation?

[–] patatas@sh.itjust.works 3 points 4 weeks ago

This is a crisp answer, nice one.