Teach an Alien
Explain a chair without words. What could go wrong?
Show an example
In this little world, a chair is a seat with a back, made for one person. Choose an object and tell the alien whether it's a chair.
The alien chooses the simplest theory that fits your examples. Find counterexamples to its mistakes. Its reasoning uses the visible object features; no AI service is required.
About Teach an Alien
Teach an Alien is a puzzle about examples and mistaken generalizations. The visitor begins with a rule that confuses some animals with furniture. Show it objects that challenge the rule, and watch it choose the simplest theory that fits everything you have taught.
How to play
- Read the alien’s current theory and select an object.
- Inspect the object’s seat, back, legs, and seating capacity.
- Tell the alien whether the object is a chair in this game’s definition.
- Test its classifications, then teach a counterexample to any remaining mistake.
Scoring and challenges
The goal is to correctly classify all twelve objects using as few teaching examples as possible. In this game, a chair has a seat and a back and is made for one person.
Questions about the game
Does this game use an AI service?
No. Its visible learning behavior comes from a small set of authored rules evaluated in your browser.
Can I undo a teaching example?
Yes. Use Forget last example to remove the most recent lesson and revisit the alien’s theory.
Play free in your browser with no account or installation. Use Restart to try again, Challenge a friend to share the setup, and Save card to download your result.