Artificial intelligence meets good old-fashioned human thought

Science News ^ | Aug. 30, 2003 | Bruce Bower

[js1138]

Artificial Intelligence ping.

[r9etb]

I often find myself wishing I had mental access to a library's worth of information.

The problem with this "cognitive prosthesis" would be in learning how to use it without being completely overwhelmed. (For example, how does one prevent every random "I wonder" thought from being interpreted as a library request?)

[Blood of Tyrants]

Artificial intelligence will never overcome natural stupidity.

[WOSG]

bump. good article.

Traditional AI is wrong. had/has a faulty view of human cognition ... dont have time to explain it now, but if folks are interested buzz a line. I have all the answers.

[ellery]

bttt

[general_re]

For example, how does one prevent every random "I wonder" thought from being interpreted as a library request?

Perhaps the best approach would be to make it a subconscious sort of knowledge - e.g., you see a new insect, and without even consciously having to request the information, you just know what it is, so that the information is presented to you in the same basic way that knowledge you already have is. For example, I don't consciously think about what this is:

..I just know that it's a Tiger Swallowtail butterfly, because I learned that somewhere. So I'm not really consciously querying my memory for that information, it's just always at my fingertips as I need it, whenever I see one. And if the prosthesis functioned in that way, subconsciously retrieving and presenting information as it was needed, it would be very similar to your mental experience now, only you'd always have any information you needed at your mental fingertips. And if it came back that you still didn't know what that strange bug was, you'd know that nobody else knew either, or at least that such information wasn't stored in a form accessible to your prosthesis.

[js1138]

I have all the answers.

And I have the questions. You first.

[Gunslingr3]

For example, how does one prevent every random "I wonder" thought from being interpreted as a library request?

Ever look at something without 'seeing' it while your thoughts drifted? Your mind can tune into what you want.

[WOSG]

Answers B4 questins? hmmm. Ask and I'll answer tonight ... back to work.

[js1138]

I rather doubt any prosthetic in the near future will plug directly into our minds. I suspect you could design some really cool interfaces that could be trained to retrieve and organize information based on speech recognition, tracking our eye movements, or even interpreting our brain waves. I envision it as a very fast google that doesn't require typing.

Now if we can just get rid of those pop-ups.

[general_re]

I rather doubt any prosthetic in the near future will plug directly into our minds.

So do I, but imagine the possibilities ;)

[Chewbacca]

The answer is 42.

[js1138]

And the question is, "What do you get when you multiply six by nine?"

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=42

[js1138]

6x9=42 (base 13)

[tortoise]

So I'm not really consciously querying my memory for that information, it's just always at my fingertips as I need it, whenever I see one.

That is characteristic of the class of machine the brain is. Encoding/learning information is relatively slow, but it is stored very efficiently and random access of data (and more importantly, associations) is highly optimal. The biggest problem with an brain prosthetic is the integration interface, which would basically require some modest medical nanotech to be feasible.

[tortoise]

Traditional AI is wrong.

Absolutely, though it is starting to come around. Not that a lot of AI researchers will ever give up their pet ideas; there is lots of "religion" in that crowd.

[Libertarianize the GOP]

http://www.freerepublic.com/perl/bump-list

[Physicist]

The biggest problem with an brain prosthetic is the integration interface, which would basically require some modest medical nanotech to be feasible.

I have always wanted a math coprocessor for my brain.

[general_re]

I have always wanted a math coprocessor for my brain.

I have long suspected that such a thing would greatly improve my skill on the pool table and golf course ;)