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␈↓ n␈↓␈↓ αi␈↓εSummary of paper accepted for the International Symposium on Proving and Improving Programs␈↓␈↓ }


␈↓ n␈↓∧␈↓ ↓N␈↓ ↓⎇SYNTHESIS OF LARGE PROGRAMS FROM SPECIFIC DIALOGUES


␈↓ n␈↓↓␈↓ ↓N␈↓ ¬3Douglas B. Lenat

␈↓ n␈↓↓␈↓ ↓N␈↓ ∧GArti≡cial Intelligence Laboratory
␈↓ n␈↓↓␈↓ ↓N␈↓ ¬∨Stanford University



␈↓ n␈↓␈↓ ↓NAutomatic␈αprogramming␈αmust␈αeventually␈αdeal␈αwith␈αlarge␈αprograms.␈αUsing␈αthe␈α
paradigm␈αof

␈↓ n␈↓␈↓ ↓Ndialogue,␈α∃a␈α∀preliminary␈α∃study␈α∀was␈α∃done␈α∃on␈α∀generating␈α∃programs␈α∀tens␈α∃of␈α∃pages␈α∀long,

␈↓ n␈↓␈↓ ↓Nrequiring␈α⊃several␈α⊂hours␈α⊃of␈α⊃user-system␈α⊂interaction␈α⊃time␈α⊂to␈α⊃synthesize.␈α⊃Many␈α⊂assumptions

␈↓ n␈↓␈↓ ↓Nwhich␈αare␈αreasonable␈αwhen␈αconcentrating␈αupon␈αtiny␈αtargets␈αbecome␈αlimiting␈αfactors␈αin␈αlarge

␈↓ n␈↓␈↓ ↓Ndialogues.␈α⊂An␈α⊃experimental␈α⊂system,␈α⊃PUP6,␈α⊂was␈α⊃constructed.␈α⊂ The␈α⊃methods␈α⊂it␈α⊃employs␈α⊂to

␈↓ n␈↓␈↓ ↓Ngenerate␈α⊃target␈α⊂code␈α⊃are␈α⊂not␈α⊃formal,␈α⊃but␈α⊂rather␈α⊃involve␈α⊂structuring␈α⊃of␈α⊃knowledge␈α⊂about

␈↓ n␈↓␈↓ ↓Nprogramming,␈α⊃about␈α⊃the␈α∩chosen␈α⊃task␈α⊃domain␈α∩(inductive␈α⊃inference␈α⊃LISP␈α∩programs),␈α⊃and

␈↓ n␈↓␈↓ ↓Nabout␈α
transfer␈αof␈α
control.␈α
Speci≡cation␈αis␈α
via␈α
long,␈αbrittle␈α
dialogues␈α
with␈αthe␈α
user,␈α
but␈αis␈α
only

␈↓ n␈↓␈↓ ↓Npartial:␈αambiguities␈α
are␈αresolved␈α
by␈αinference␈αand␈α
deferral.␈α Knowledge␈α
is␈αrepresented␈α
as␈αa

␈↓ n␈↓␈↓ ↓Npool␈α
of␈α
structured␈αmodules,␈α
whose␈α
abilities␈α
include␈αasking␈α
and␈α
answering␈α
questions␈αposed␈α
by

␈↓ n␈↓␈↓ ↓Neach␈α
other␈α
and␈αby␈α
the␈α
user.␈α
 Inadvertantly,␈αa␈α
new␈α
style␈αof␈α
target␈α
program␈α
was␈αsynthesized:

␈↓ n␈↓␈↓ ↓Nlike␈α∩PUP6,␈α⊃it␈α∩can␈α⊃be␈α∩interrupted␈α⊃as␈α∩it␈α⊃runs␈α∩and␈α⊃queried␈α∩about␈α⊃what␈α∩it's␈α∩doing.␈α⊃ This

␈↓ n␈↓␈↓ ↓Nresearch␈α∩revealed␈α∩some␈α∩major␈α∩di≠culties␈α⊃the␈α∩"next␈α∩generation"␈α∩of␈α∩nonformal␈α⊃automatic

␈↓ n␈↓␈↓ ↓Nprogram synthesis systems must face.











␈↓ n␈↓␈↓ ¬5␈↓εLength of paper: 25 pages␈↓␈↓ }