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SUMMARY:HONORARY FELLOWS PRIZE LECTURE - Could computers understand their 
 own programs? - Professor Sir Tony Hoare FRS FREng
DTSTART:20141119T180000Z
DTEND:20141119T190000Z
UID:TALK53964@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Beverley Larner
DESCRIPTION: \n\nAristotle showed how humans can understand the processes 
 of our own rational thinking.  Euclid showed us how to understand simple p
 rograms for a wide range of useful geometric constructions. Turing showed 
 us how to understand the more complex and more general programs of the pre
 sent day.  Finally\, Turing suggested that we can test the understanding o
 f computers in the same way that we used to test the understanding of our 
 students: by an interactive examination. \n\nFrom these historic insights\
 , I will argue for a positive answer to the question of my title.  Again f
 ollowing Turing\, I will suggest that exploitation of this potential under
 standing is a Challenge for Computing Science that may take fifty years of
  international collaborative effort to achieve.  The effort will be justif
 ied if it enables computers to help in programming themselves more efficie
 ntly and more reliably than humans do.\n\nA COMPLIMENTARY DRINKS RECEPTION
  TO FOLLOW ON AFTER THE LECTURE WILL TAKE PLACE IN THE FOYER TO THE LECTUR
 E THEATRE FOR ALL ATTENDEES\n
LOCATION:Bristol-Myers-Squibb Lecture theatre\, Department of Chemistry
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