huntley@nprdc.arpa (David Huntley) (12/16/88)
Comp.ai suggests to me something very specific: AI (as we understand the engineering discipline) on computers. AI, as an engineering discipline, is in my mind an indisputably useful one. AI research has resulted in formal languages better suited to certain kinds of practical problems. Neural networks, a software/hardware creation, extends the applications to which computers can be put. Process control, inventory management, forecasting, industrial robots are all improved by AI techniques. Also, work is being done on computer models of the brain in the general area of physiology. If a computer model of the brain sufficiently complex to allow a mapping between "damage" and degraded performance can be developed, so much the better. With computers that already perform the written-to-spoken conversion, a tool for the study of aphasia seems to be at hand. Can anyone tell me how AI on computers entails consideration of free-will, self-awareness, consciousness, subconsciousness, unconsciousness or, in short, non-biological human replication? I understand that one can fantasize, create and share in science fiction. But why not do that in genetic.engineering.slave.colony ? David huntley@nprdc.arpa "These two cents belong exclusively to me."
bwk@mbunix.mitre.org (Barry W. Kort) (12/19/88)
In article <1185@arctic.nprdc.arpa> huntley@nprdc.arpa (David Huntley) writes: > Can anyone tell me how AI on computers entails consideration of free-will, > self-awareness, consciousness, subconsciousness, unconsciousness or, in > short, non-biological human replication? An AI system with limited processing capacity must make choices about the problems it elects to contemplate. The wise use of intelligent resources calls for a Value System. It is difficult to address the issue of constructing a Value System without considering Free Will. An AI system which takes as a goal the expansion and refinement of its knowledge base needs to be able to monitor its progress in knowledge acquisition. Such an ability may be called self-awareness. An AI system which has the power of agency (the power to alter its environment) needs to distinguish between passively observed phenomena and phenomena caused by its own activity. This ability may be thought of as consciousness. As to non-biological replication, you might want to peruse von Neumann's book, _On the Theory of Self-Reproducing Automata_. --Barry Kort