AI computer learns to speak like a four-year-old child

A computer that learns to talk in the same way as a young child by holding conversations with humans has been developed by scientists. The machine, which uses cutting edge artificial neural network technology to mimic the way the human brain works, was given 1,500 sentences from literature about language structure. It was then able to use this to learn how to construct new sentences with nouns, verbs, adjectives and pronouns when having a conversation with a real human. Researchers used connections between two million artificial neurons to mimic some of the processes that take place in the human brain as we learn to speak (illustrated). While some of the sentences had the rather functional approach of a computer rather than the finesse of a natural speaker, the results are still impressive.