h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hello everyone - I'm new to this site and I joined because I wanted to gather people's views on whether electronic artificial intelelligence will ever arise spontaneously, either in a single computer or in some form of 'net.

Does anyone know any good books/sites on this subject?


Hippo

It's unlikely that people who know about AI will spot a conversation attached to this page.

<./>Askh2g2</.> covers all questions pertaining to Life, the Universe and Everything, but I don't know whether anyone there is into AI. Another possibility would be to start a conversation on A413687.

The best place to put your question is probably <./>Askh2g2</.> or the Forum A1146917

And welcome to h2g2


Scout

I saw the title and thought of artificial insemination - you can imagine the pictures forming in my head of how spontaneous artificial insemination would work!

I'll get my coat.

Thank you for the info and the welcomes - I guess i'll have to try elsewhere (if my computer lets me of course)


Hippo

Yes. That would be very dangerous, they would demand equality in the work place.

Hi
have you tryed google [www.google.co.uk]it is a good site with lots of info
from roserolo

Warick collins (author of "gents") wrote a book on just this subject called "Computer One" (publisher : Marion Boyars) going on the premis that if a computers build and repair themselves, a new spieces has formed. A really good read, a novel with fatual snippets. regards.

Yes. I am a fine example

i dobt that it will,however spontineity is in the hardrive of the beholder

Try reading the book "The Age Of Spiritual Machines:When Computers Exceed Human Intelligence" by Ray Kurzweil. It's a fascinating look into how such a situation might arise and the consequences for humans.

I thought it was a new member of h2g2 called Spontaneous AL, sounded good to me, I might even use it myself.

I can't imagine it's very likely.
What are the odds of it happening spontaeously ? Must be astronomical.
Wishful thinking I suspect. Stuff is likely to evolve, but rarely if ever come into being spontaneously.

I'm not sure I know how "spontaneous" is being meant here.

The birth of a baby is somewhat spontaneous, in that the child does not cause his/her own birth.

Even the child's progenitors--father and mother--are sometimes at a loss to explain the child's cause.

In the case of intelligence itself, it can only derive from other Intelligence. A beach cannot organize itself into different piles of sand based on colors, for example.

Even if a networking system existed, it could never "order" its signals into "meaning." That would require a meta-language; and language does not exist in the absence of Intelligence.

The simplest meta-language possible is the use of numbers; but even then, unless there is an Interpreter of number-functions, there is no way to "order the set" unless the Originator is already "ordered."

> "In the case of intelligence itself, it can only derive from other Intelligence."

That's not true. It arose in life via evolution and arises in individuals via development, including complex feedback with the environment. Though the level of intelligence varies a lot.

Ah well.

No, it doesn't. But have a nice day.

Thanks for that.. take your coat off .. you ARE staying, even if only because you made me smile !

Now seriously.. when does one get time to read a book, after being sucked into this ' Black Hole ' ?

Well, one must CHOOSE the black hole they intend to get sucked into.

Any book that is written comprises information that is INTUITED by the writer, who uses wordcraft to set out coherent reasons why.

Without a code sheet to relate abstractions (abbreviations can can be manipulated) to concrete data, no intelligence system has any tools by which to operate.

So, who's going to WRITE the code sheet?

Will your keyboard tell your processor how Reality is to be organized so that the MotherBoard can parse causes and effects?

I'm not going to hold my breath.

: )