John和Ken开始尝试定义系统中的智能，并决定任何有智能的东西都必须能够从外部世界接收数据，然后根据经验改变它的运作方式。约翰认为任何能够做出这种行为的东西都有某种智能，但肯想知道:为什么它被认为是人工的?它可能是合成的而不是有机的，但是什么使它是人造的而不是真正的?John指出，智能的这种定义允许许多系统以非常奇怪和不人道的方式显示智能。肯将智慧比作飞行，他指出很多东西都会飞:鸟、昆虫、飞机、直升机和飞艇，但它们都有自己不同的独特方式。John和Ken继续描述了人工智能作为认知科学的工具和计算机工程的方法，以及这两种截然不同的方法有何不同。

In order to delve deeper into artificial intelligence, Ken introduces Marvin Minsky, Professor Emeritus of Media Arts and Sciences at MIT and major contributor to the fields of artificial intelligence, robotics, and cognitive psychology. John begins by asking Marvin what the original vision for artificial intelligence was at the beginning of the field in the 1950's and 1960's and how it has changed with new technologies and the successes and failures of computer science. Marvin explains that artificial intelligence developed at the same time computers were first being developed, and that the field originally thought they could replicate most human actions on computers. Initially this seemed promising, since within the first few years they had created a computer that could do calculus as fast as an MIT student, but they soon found that computers could do difficult things like calculus easily, but had immense trouble doing easy things like having a conversation. What does this mean? How come calculus and theorem-proving are so easy for computers but so hard for us? Does this strange disconnect reveal something about the nature of the human mind? Marvin discusses his views and Ken puts forth his own theory about what these differences reveal.

Marvin Minsky argues that "intelligence" is a social relation which involves necessary interpersonal interaction, whereas what these computers and programs do is really about "resourcefulness," or using excellent strategies to respond to data they receive. John and Ken wonder about the different strategies for chess-playing, a realm in which computers have slowly come to dominate human opponents. Marvin explains the differing strategies that human beings and computers use to play chess, and how computers use raw power to exhaustively search through moves whereas humans use common sense to eliminate many possibilities. Ken remarks on this theme contrasting raw power and common sense. What is common sense? Is it possible to emulate it somehow in computers? Should we bother? What is the point of creating computers that think like us when they are so successful at thinking in different ways? John, Ken, and Marvin discuss these issues and take calls from listeners interested in the details of artificial intelligence, the realities of many science fiction robots, and the future of human-robot interaction.

• Roving Philosophical Reporter(Seek to 4:38): Zoe Corneli travels to a Stanford Artificial Intelligence lab to learn about robotics and how researchers attempt to build robots that bridge the gap between industrial assembly lines and normal human environments.
  
• Sixty Second Philosopher(Seek to 49:56): Ian Shoales burns through the modern history of robotics and artificial intelligence, including some fantastical visions of human society deeply integrated with robotics and AI in the not-so-distant future.