Page 19 - Viva ICSE Computer Studies 5 : E-book

Fifth Generation Computers

Fifth generation computing devices are based on artifi cial intelligence which is the ability
of computers to think and act like humans. They are still in development stage, though
there are some applications such as voice recognition that are being used today. The

use of parallel processing and superconductors is helping to make artifi cial intelligence
a reality. The goal of the fi fth generation computing is to develop devices that respond
to natural language input and are capable of learning and self-organisation. Artifi cial
intelligence includes the following.

• Programming computers to play games such as chess and checkers

• Systems that attempt to reproduce the types of physical connections that occur in
animal brains to simulate intelligence

• Programming computers to see, hear and react to other sensory stimuli

Currently, no computer exhibits full artifi cial intelligence. The greatest advancements
have occurred in the fi eld of games. The best computer chess programs are now capable
of beating humans. ROBOTS are the best examples of artifi cial intelligence.

Learn More Think and Discuss

The term ‘artifi cial intelligence‘ Can we say that the computers of the
was coined in 1956 by John fi fth generation would be superior to the
McCarthy at the Massachusetts computers of the previous generations?
Institute of Technology. Justify your answer by giving reasons.

Characteristics of a Computer

A computer has the following characteristics.

Speed

A computer can do a variety of arithmetic operations like comparing numbers, modifying
text, and many other things at great speeds, all at the same time. Older models of

computers may take a few microseconds to execute an arithmetic operation, whereas
newer models of computers take only a few nanoseconds for the same. Some latest
models of computers take a few picoseconds for an operation.

Reliability and Accuracy

It has been estimated that a human being commits at least one error for every 1000
operations. However, computers do millions of operations in a second without any

7