About This Video

Doctors are sworn to “first, do no harm.” Robots in Isaac Asimov’s science fiction literature are sworn to do the same. Now, thanks to computer scientist Eric Horvitz’s research, the two are more closely related than ever. In this demonstration of natural language interfaces, Horvitz presents the Medical Bayesian Kiosk, a system designed to perform triage in understaffed hospitals. Horvitz’s computer interacts with patients on a more human level, complete with a facial avatar that reacts to the location and age of the person it’s speaking with. You can see an earlier iteration of the kiosk here. Check out all Man-Made Minds videos.

Recorded June 2011; Posted August 2011