Another Amazing Amazon Addition

November 12, 2005

Amazon launches yet another extremely interesting concept: Mechanical Turk, as they subtitle it: Artificial Artifical Intelligence. Here’s how Amazon describes the concept:

In 1769, Hungarian nobleman Wolfgang von Kempelen astonished Europe by building a mechanical chess-playing automaton that defeated nearly every opponent it faced. A life-sized wooden mannequin, adorned with a fur-trimmed robe and a turban, Kempelen’s "Turk" was seated behind a cabinet and toured Europe confounding such brilliant challengers as Benjamin Franklin and Napoleon Bonaparte. To persuade skeptical audiences, Kempelen would slide open the cabinet’s doors to reveal the intricate set of gears, cogs and springs that powered his invention. He convinced them that he had built a machine that made decisions using artificial intelligence. What they did not know was the secret behind the mechanical Turk: a chess master cleverly concealed inside.

Today, we build complex software applications based on the things computers do well, such as storing and retrieving large amounts of information or rapidly performing calculations. However, humans still significantly outperform the most powerful computers at completing such simple tasks as identifying objects in photographs – something children can do even before they learn to speak.

When we think of interfaces between human beings and computers, we usually assume that the human being is the one requesting that a task be completed, and the computer is completing the task and providing the results. What if this process were reversed and a computer program could ask a human being to perform a task and return the results? What if it could coordinate many human beings to perform a task?

Amazon Mechanical Turk provides a web services API for computers to integrate Artificial Artificial Intelligence directly into their processing by making requests of humans. Developers use the Amazon Mechanical Turk web services API to submit tasks to the Amazon Mechanical Turk web site, approve completed tasks, and incorporate the answers into their software applications. To the application, the transaction looks very much like any remote procedure call – the application sends the request, and the service returns the results. In reality, a network of humans fuels this Artificial Artificial Intelligence by coming to the web site, searching for and completing tasks, and receiving payment for their work.

They also give a nice summary for the people who are interested in becoming "turks":

What is a HIT?

HIT stands for Human Intelligence Task. These are tasks that people are willing to pay you to complete. For example a HIT might ask: "Is there a pizza parlour in this photograph?" Typically these tasks are extraordinarily difficult for computers, but simple for humans to answer.

How do I find HITs to work on?

Just click the "Get Started Now" button to browse thousands of available HITs, without any obligation.

How do I work on a HIT?

Once you have chosen a HIT to complete, click the "Accept HIT" button to have it assigned to you. Follow the instructions on how to complete the HIT and when you are done, click the "Submit " button to save your answer.

How do I get paid?

You are paid when your answer is approved by the person that listed the HIT. The money you earn is deposited into your Amazon.com account, where you can turn it into cash at any time by transferring it to your personal checking account.

I can imagine that this will quickly turn into a system where small businesses are able to create businesses using this concept as a foundation, just like people are already doing with re-selling used goods on eBay or collecting suggested products and using the Amazon Affiliate program.

An API into a group of people – we ARE moving closer and closer into The Matrix.

UPDATE: Apparently I wasn’t the first to make the Matrix comparison.