NRO Weekend, October 14-15, 2000
The Al Gore Program
A computer scientist has figured it out.

By Ananda Gupta

am a computer-science student at the University of Maryland. I have, through unexpected means, discovered the AI program used in Al Gore’s neural net. Strangely, it appears to be a standard ANSI C++ program. I was only able to download the code for the Gore::debate function. Nonetheless, perhaps it sheds some light on the way his programming works:

#include
#include

void Gore::debate( istream& ears, ostream& mouth ){

char *question;

while( !debate.eof() ){
if ( forMe( question ) == true ){

ears >> question;

head.nod_knowledgeably();
if ( strstr( question, "environment" ) != NULL ){ mouth << prattle( green );
}
else if ( strstr( question, "taxes" ) != NULL ){

mouth << pander( key_groups->poor, envy );
mouth << lie( opponent.record() );
// mouth << relate( random( anecdote ) );
// PAUL - gonna take this one out until we test the "random"
// function so it only returns a valid anecdote.
mouth << pander( random( interest_group ), random(bad_emotion) );
hands.gesture( expressively );
mouth << digress;

}

else {

mouth << relate( anecdote );
mouth << prattle( question );
mouth << ask_disingenuously( "Am I wrong?" );
body.sit_back( chair );
}

if ( forMe( question ) == false ){

hands.make_notes( notepad, pen );
//mouth << sigh;
// eyes.roll( up );
// mouth << sigh;
// PAUL: We're getting hit for this - gonna take it out for now.

If ( ears.listen( opponent ) == 0 && interrupt == true )
mouth << fib( opponent.answer() );
// PAUL: We'll keep this for now, but remember to have the lead
// designer take a look at this routine.

}

}