from the pop-culture dept.
A brief article from Reuters on Yahoo! News ("Man Versus Machine Plays Out in Cyberspace", by Eric Auchard, 15 June 2001) highlights recent popular conceptions of artificial intelligence. The article comments on concerns about replicating robots raised by Bill Joy, on the transhumanist multimedia artwork of Natash Vita-More, and ideas on human-level AI from Ray Kurzweil.
from the quantum-computing dept.
A research team at the University of Rochester in New York state has created an optical information processing device that provides some of the advantages of quantum computing. The device mimics quantum interference, an important property that makes quantum computers exponentially faster at tasks such as breaking encryption codes or searching huge databases. Instead of interference, conventional computers use electrons to perform tasks sequentially. Quantum interference methods allow massive parallelism, vastly increasing the speed of the process. The new device proves that using light interference is just as effective as quantum interference in retrieving items from a database. The optical device does not, however, employ quantum entanglement, a property which may allow unique computing capabilities, but which so far has not been harnessed on a large scale.
from the thoughts-on-AI dept.
An Anonymous Coward writes "Recently I have been reading a bit about Kurzweil and Bill Joy's rants about the impending destruction of life-as-we-know-it.
"I'd like to attempt to discount the likelihood of human destruction via machine intelligence by trying to figure out what would/could happen."
Read more for the rest . . .
from the am-I-blue? dept.
Sharad Bailur calls attention to a number of news reports of plans announced by IBM to design computers that would adjust to changing workloads, recognize faults and repair themselves without human intervention. A longer-term goal includes a sort of digital immune system to fight off computer viruses and other attacks. Although these goals are not radically new, some reports do mention Ray Kurzweil and ask whether such systems would have a sort of limited self-awareness.
A report appeared in the New York Times ("I.B.M. Project Seeks to Reduce Need for Human Action", by B.J. Feder, 27 April 2001). According to the article, I.B.M.'s research arm had already singled out such autonomous computing technology as a major focus for its work.
from the smart-allies-not-enemies dept.
From Senior Associate Eliezer Yudkowsky: The Singularity Institute has just announced that it has begun circulating a preliminary version of "Friendly AI" for open commentary by the academic and futurist communities. "Friendly AI" is the first specific proposal for a set of design features and cognitive architectures to produce a benevolent – "Friendly" – Artificial Intelligence. The official launch is tentatively scheduled for mid-June, but we hope to discuss the current paper with you at the upcoming Foresight Gathering this weekend. Read More for more details.
from the IRS-gods-have-smiled dept.
From Senior Associate Eliezer Yudkowsky: The Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence, Inc. is glad to announce that we have obtained tax-exempt status as a 501(c)(3) public charity. We are now accepting donations (through check, credit card, or Paypal) which will be tax-deductible to the full extent of the law.
The Singularity Institute currently analyzes seed AI (AI designed for self-understanding, self-modification, and recursive self-improvement), Friendly AI (goal architectures for benevolence), and the Singularity. The Singularity Institute is also beginning to evangelize Friendly AI to other AI projects. The Singularity Institute's long-term purpose is to directly implement the Singularity by designing, developing, and teaching the "seed AI" which becomes the first transhuman Artificial Intelligence.
(Remember to attend the Singularity SIG at this weekend's Foresight Gathering!)
from the extraordinary-claims-require-extraordinary-proof dept.
Charles Vollum writes "In an article on ananova.com, Russian scientist Vitaly Valtsev claims to have developed the first artificial brain with the same intellectual potential as a human, using pioneering findings in neurophysiology and neuromorphology to produce a truly thinking machine."
from the but-who-gets-first-authorship? dept.
Waldemar Perez noted a New Scientistarticle on silicon scientists. "This fits perfectly with Drexler's automated engineering mentioned in Engines of Creation. This article talks about Inductive Logic Programming. I'm really impressed with the progress of robotics in the last couple of years.
Read More for an initial quote from the article.
from the tomorrowland dept.
Bryan Hall writes "Raymond Kurzweil, author of 'The Age of Spiritual Machines' has a new website showcasing the ideas of leading visionaries and breakthrough web technologies. The site is hosted by Ramona, a real-time virtual hostess, using natural language processing, real-time facial animation, and other technologies to answer visitors' questions vocally. Ramona is programmed to verbally explain hundreds of `thoughts' (such as `artificial intelligence') to visitors as well as provide articles, glossary definitions, links, and other information…A major focus of the site is the exponential growth of technology, leading to the 'Singularity,' which Kurzweil described as “future accelerated technological change so rapid and profound that it represents a rupture in the fabric of human history.'' The site's content includes parts of Kurzweil's forthcoming book, “The Singularity is Near.''"
from the get-some-TED-for-free dept.
A message from the TED conference: "A FREE hour of the exclusive (impossible to get in) TED11 Conference FREE. Brought to you by Apple's QuickTime group and TED Conferences on Thursday, February 22, 2001 at approximately 8:00 pm EST/5:00 pm PST. [Foresight Senior Associate] Raymond Kurzweil, winner of the National Medal of Technology, in a dramatic, amazing and entertaining presentation complete with singers and dancers will premiere the first complete blurring and image transformation in an astonishing demo of the near future. (This will demonstrate absolutely state-of-the-art digital avatar technology.) This one-hour presentation is not to be missed. Go to http://www.ted.com/webcast.html for specific information on the conference. The webcast will be available by approximately 8 pm EST (5 pm PST) on Thursday, February 22, 2001. The page will be available then at http://www.apple.com/quicktime/qtv/ted11/index.html Higher resolution and better quality video will be posted one day later." Read More for the full email.
