Artificial Intelligence? Pro or Con?

[CanadianStraps]

If it weren't for 'artificial' intelligence methinks this forums would be full of 'iz my pitek watch that my grandfather gave me from whin he wuz yung a real one and what iz it wurth?'

[M. Montaigne]

True artificial intelligence (in the form of cognitive emergence) is extremely unlikely.

What is more likely is hybridization -- i.e., man-machine hybrids where we can optimize certain functions (e.g., increased memory or expert systems or analytical capability).

In that sense, I'd say that in the next 50-100 years, hybridization is inevitable.

In that sense, AI is welcome because human evolution is in our own hands, and it's about time we did something about it. Throw in some genetic manipulation and some augmentation, and you have the best of both worlds.

As always, expect the military to be the forerunners on something like this.

[CanadianStraps]

And then when SkyNet becomes self-aware, don't follow me to my resistance bunker.

[mlcor]

As a science fiction buff, this is a subject that always interested me. One of my favorite writers, the late Robert Heinlein had an interesting hypothesis baked into several of his books on this subject--namely, that when the number of circuits in a computer equaled or exceeded the number of neurons in a human brain, sentience would be possible. Probably has no basis in computer science or neuroscience, but I always liked it as a theory.

[M. Montaigne]

“If our brains were simple enough for us to understand them, we'd be so simple that we couldn't.”

― Ian Stewart, The Collapse of Chaos: Discovering Simplicity in a Complex World

[crownpuller]

Anyone know where I can find The Blue Fairy ?

[M. Montaigne]

Anyone know where I can find The Blue Fairy ?

A wee bit of the purple blotter will help you see the blue fairy, the green fairy, and the two of them making out.

[thewalrus]

“If our brains were simple enough for us to understand them, we'd be so simple that we couldn't.”

― Ian Stewart, The Collapse of Chaos: Discovering Simplicity in a Complex World

I think that's pretty much it. I remember taking a 'philosophy of mind' course in undergrand. Thoroughly perplexing. The only thing I really got out of it is how absolutely impossible the free will problem is to solve. We're no further along than we were a millenia ago.

[Seriously]

Anyone know where I can find The Blue Fairy ?

He lives down near the tooth fairy

[crownpuller]

He lives down near the tooth fairy

.... and here was I thinking she was a ...... wait for it....... Seadweller