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The Chinese Room: Can a Computer Really Understand?
A TED-Ed lesson on philosopher John Searle's famous thought experiment: if you followed a rulebook to reply in a language you don't know, would you understand it? Explore this classic puzzle about artificial intelligence and what 'understanding' really means.
How it works
- Press play to start the video.
- Videos 5 minutes or longer pause once or twice for a quick check. Get it right and you're on your way. If not, you'll see a friendly explanation and the video simply keeps going. Short videos skip the checks.
- At the end there's a 3-question test. Score 60% or more to complete the lesson, and 80% or more to master it. You can always watch again and try for a higher score.