Developing an AI system with Markov chains

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© Lead Image © ct, fotolia.com

© Lead Image © ct, fotolia.com

Article from Issue 205/2017
Author(s):

Markov chains model systems that jump from state to state with predetermined probabilities, but can they help write new columns like this one after learning from previously written articles?

Hard to believe, but true: This edition of my programming column marks its 20-year anniversary. Lately, I've been diving into artificial intelligence topics, a field that is increasingly replacing traditional jobs, but I wonder if a machine could possibly one day replace authors like me? An AI system would certainly have a number of advantages over a human writer, because a robot would no doubt deliver the manuscript on time every time, to the amazement of my editors, who are not fond of my bad habit of watching deadlines swoosh by. Also, I could afford to work less hard and have more time to kick back, relax, and spend my days pursuing my surfing hobby at various Pacific beaches (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Target: The author surfing in Hawaii whilst an AI system writes his column.

Moody like the Weather

An algorithm that writes columns automatically could be implemented as a so-called Markov chain, named after the Russian mathematician Andrei Markov. Markov chains are stochastic processes with different states that change according to predetermined probabilities.

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