24-02-2012, 04:23 PM
Artificial Intelligence
[attachment=17703]
. INTRODUCTION :
Although there is no clear definition of AI (not even of intelligence), it can be described as the attempt to build machines that think and act like humans, that are able to learn and to use their knowledge to solve problems on their own.
A 'by-product' of the intensive studies of the human brain by AI researchers is a far better understanding of how it works.
The human brain consists of 10 to 100 billion neurons, each of which is connected to between 10 and 10,000 others through synapses. The single brain cell is comparatively slow (compared to a microprocessor) and has a very simple function: building the sum of its inputs and issuing an output, if that sum exceeds a certain value. Through its highly parallel way of operation, however, the human brain achieves a performance that has not been reached by computers yet; and even at the current speed of development in that field, we still have about twenty years until the first supercomputers will be of equal power.
In the meantime, a number of different approaches are tried to build models of the brain, with different levels of success.
The only test for intelligence there is, is the Turing Test.
A thinking machine has yet to be built.
2. WHY THE CURRENT APPROACH OF AI IS WRONG :
These following thoughts do not deal with technical problems of AI, nor am I going to prove that humans are the only intelligent species. What I want to show, is that the whole idea of AI needs to be changed in order to lead to more than just partial results.
2.1 Reference Points :
Today's AI concentrates entirely on the brain. If you look at the human body, however, it is not clear where to draw the line between which parts of the nervous system belong to the brain, and which don't. But a number of functions are performed by the spinal cord, for example, like withdrawing the hand quickly when touching something hot. It can be vitally important that this action is taken as fast as possible, in order to limit the damage. The only way of doing so is through reflexes, without the intervention of the brain. This is not an example of intelligent decisions outside the brain, but it provides an entry point to the following.
The Role of the Body :
The most obvious difference between man and other animals is his mind, his ability to accumulate knowledge and pass it on to his descendants. Yet many of man's highly developed abilities can be completely switched off by the sheer terror of a single aching tooth. This also applies for other strong feelings like hatred, grief or pain in general. They can make people act against their better knowledge and their principles - these being higher developed parts of the mind. This leads to a conclusion that is obvious from looking at the ancestry of man: the vital functions rule over everything else. Man has not been built to wear digital watches (as Douglas Addams states), but he is the winner of a game that is as old as life itself: Evolution. If people were able to simply ignore hunger, they would starve to death; if they would have to control their lungs consciously, they would sooner or later suffocate. Vital functions must have priority over everything else. Considering this, it is not surprising that many of our expressions involve basic needs, like 'being hungry for love', 'being tired of something', 'being fed up', 'having a bleeding heart', 'saving someone's skin'. This is also an example for what was said in the last paragraph: The main reference point is oneself, this is of course also true for strong emotions that are on a less 'basic' level.
Additionally, most (if not all) emotions are accompanied by physical symptoms, such as the production of hormones, shivering, gnashing of teeth or goose-pimples.
[attachment=17703]
. INTRODUCTION :
Although there is no clear definition of AI (not even of intelligence), it can be described as the attempt to build machines that think and act like humans, that are able to learn and to use their knowledge to solve problems on their own.
A 'by-product' of the intensive studies of the human brain by AI researchers is a far better understanding of how it works.
The human brain consists of 10 to 100 billion neurons, each of which is connected to between 10 and 10,000 others through synapses. The single brain cell is comparatively slow (compared to a microprocessor) and has a very simple function: building the sum of its inputs and issuing an output, if that sum exceeds a certain value. Through its highly parallel way of operation, however, the human brain achieves a performance that has not been reached by computers yet; and even at the current speed of development in that field, we still have about twenty years until the first supercomputers will be of equal power.
In the meantime, a number of different approaches are tried to build models of the brain, with different levels of success.
The only test for intelligence there is, is the Turing Test.
A thinking machine has yet to be built.
2. WHY THE CURRENT APPROACH OF AI IS WRONG :
These following thoughts do not deal with technical problems of AI, nor am I going to prove that humans are the only intelligent species. What I want to show, is that the whole idea of AI needs to be changed in order to lead to more than just partial results.
2.1 Reference Points :
Today's AI concentrates entirely on the brain. If you look at the human body, however, it is not clear where to draw the line between which parts of the nervous system belong to the brain, and which don't. But a number of functions are performed by the spinal cord, for example, like withdrawing the hand quickly when touching something hot. It can be vitally important that this action is taken as fast as possible, in order to limit the damage. The only way of doing so is through reflexes, without the intervention of the brain. This is not an example of intelligent decisions outside the brain, but it provides an entry point to the following.
The Role of the Body :
The most obvious difference between man and other animals is his mind, his ability to accumulate knowledge and pass it on to his descendants. Yet many of man's highly developed abilities can be completely switched off by the sheer terror of a single aching tooth. This also applies for other strong feelings like hatred, grief or pain in general. They can make people act against their better knowledge and their principles - these being higher developed parts of the mind. This leads to a conclusion that is obvious from looking at the ancestry of man: the vital functions rule over everything else. Man has not been built to wear digital watches (as Douglas Addams states), but he is the winner of a game that is as old as life itself: Evolution. If people were able to simply ignore hunger, they would starve to death; if they would have to control their lungs consciously, they would sooner or later suffocate. Vital functions must have priority over everything else. Considering this, it is not surprising that many of our expressions involve basic needs, like 'being hungry for love', 'being tired of something', 'being fed up', 'having a bleeding heart', 'saving someone's skin'. This is also an example for what was said in the last paragraph: The main reference point is oneself, this is of course also true for strong emotions that are on a less 'basic' level.
Additionally, most (if not all) emotions are accompanied by physical symptoms, such as the production of hormones, shivering, gnashing of teeth or goose-pimples.
