The Chinese Room

The Chinese Room is a thought experiment that questions whether a computer truly "understands" language. Imagine someone inside a room following detailed instructions to respond to Chinese characters without knowing Chinese. To outside observers, it might seem the person understands Chinese, but they are simply executing a program. This illustrates that a computer can process symbols and generate appropriate responses without genuine comprehension or consciousness. The experiment challenges the idea that passing as understanding implies real intelligence, emphasizing the distinction between symbol manipulation and true understanding or awareness.