A List of Artificial Intelligences in The Decreasing Order of Strength

AI, Concepts, KSAI

The principal divide of Artificial Intelligences (AI) among researches in the field is between weak AI and strong AI. I have discussed this in connection with KSAI (Kimmo Strong Artificial Intelligence)  so I won’t go into that here but I will try and formulate a way to categorize AI’s (real, imaginary or theoretical) into something of an order.  I will take the idea of Rule following as my starting point.

The most simple way of rule following is to be able to repeat something. I will try to illustrate my idea using counting as an example, this example isn’t probably the best possible but we have to start from somewhere. If you are presented with how to count “2+2″ then on the lowest level thats all you can do. In the next level you can add any numbers together.  Further on, you can, starting from addition, come up with multiplication, on your own. Even further on, you can come up with different kind of numbers (such as fractions) and other basic concepts. Basically this level would mean you can create the whole system of Mathematics, i.e. you could come up with any number that can be counted. On the next level you could surpass this and be able of what I believe is called hyper-computation. Here we enter into the area of absolutely-theoretical it is pretty much impossible that we could never experience hyper-computation in this universe (or any parallel ones). It is of course possible to propose an infinite number of levels of intelligence by declaring each level surpassing the previous one, but those lose their relevance for a pragmatist pretty fast.

I hope this example illustrates that the problem of creating an AI is not one of having computational power but rather one of programming. I’m assuming that you really can’t come up with anything not provided by your “programming” and I use the term here in the loosest possible meaning. You humans, for example, can’t imagine what hyper-computing would be like, outside of listing some general attributes it should have.

But for now, on to the list! “Product” isn’t really defined here, but since we are so deep in theoretical swamps, we can assume it to mean whatever collection of human mind-states.

0. An AI capable of hyper-computing.

  • NOTES: This and possible higher levels are beyond human understanding.

1. An AI capable of producing anything within any possible universe.

  • NOTES: An AI at this level can produce anything any kind of intelligence can.

n. An AI capable of producing anything within this universe.

  • NOTES: An AI at this level can produce anything any intelligence can in our universe.

m. An AI capable of producing everything any possible human can.

p. An AI capable of producing everything any existing human can.

q. An AI capable of producing what one particular human can.

  • NOTES: The AI’s (and I’s) above this level are all capable of producing an AI more stronger than themselves, i.e. I’m claiming here that humans can produce a strong AI.

r. An AI capable of producing a meaningful subset of what one particular human can.

  • KSAI along with its various levels.

——–Line between strong and weak AI

s. an AI capable of altering computation (i.e. programming)

t. An AI capable of computation.  (Practically every computer program written to date belong here)

END NOTES:

  1. *sigh* There are probably many, many levels between r and s, but as I said we have to start somewhere.
  2. Consider this as a work-in-very-much-process, I’ll add more AI’s to the list in time.
  3. Is this making any sense to all you bots and botsesses?

Objective Comparison Between the World Wide Web and Facebook

Social 
                        |            WWW            |       Facebook          |
------------------------+---------------------------+--------------------------
Number of users:        | A couple of billions      | a few tens of millions  |
------------------------+---------------------------+--------------------------                
Ability to create your  |                           |                         |
own applications        |            Yes            |         Yes             |
within the system?      |                           |                         | 
------------------------+---------------------------+--------------------------
Ability to let others   |  Up to users choice       |    Default option       |
earn from your work:    |                           |                         |
------------------------+---------------------------+--------------------------
Available programming   | All of them really        | HTML and some zero's    | 
languages:              |                           |                         |
------------------------+---------------------------+--------------------------
Ability to announce     |  Up to users choice       | Core functionality      |
who your friends are:   |                           |                         |
------------------------+---------------------------+--------------------------
Ability to link         |  Up to users choice       | Why use it otherwise?   |
to your friends?        |                           |                         |
------------------------+---------------------------+--------------------------
Instant messaging:      |          Yes              |         No              |
------------------------+---------------------------+--------------------------
Email:                  |          Yes              |         No              |
------------------------+---------------------------+--------------------------
Chat:                   |          Yes              |         No              |
------------------------+---------------------------+--------------------------
Ability to annoy        |                           |                         |
others with             |    Up to users choice     |           Yes           |
announcements of        |                           |                         |
cute' applications?     |                           |                         |
------------------------+---------------------------+--------------------------
User licence:           |         None              | [...] and your grannys  |
                        |                           |        bungalow.        |
------------------------+---------------------------+--------------------------
Playable games:         |    Yes, wide range        |Yes, Chess and Scrabble  |
------------------------+---------------------------+--------------------------
Tied to one operator?   |      No (not yet)         |         Yes             |
------------------------+---------------------------+--------------------------
                        |    Free exhange of        |  To gloat how many      |
Main purpose:           |       information         |  people claim to know   |
                        |                           |  you.                   |
------------------------+---------------------------+--------------------------
Porn:                   | Yes, see rule #43         |    Some (implied)       |
------------------------+---------------------------+--------------------------
Causes unsexiness?      |          No               |          Yes            |
------------------------+---------------------------+--------------------------
Contains meaningfull    |                           |                         |
information:            | Yes, all of it. And then  |         None            |
                        |         some.             |                         |
 -----------------------+---------------------------+--------------------------
Typical user profile:   |  Young, vibrant, supple   | Dull, blunt, boring     |
------------------------+---------------------------+--------------------------
Invites the whole       |                           |                         | 
of humanity to unite    |         Yes               |        No?! ...         |
in celebration?         |                           |                         |
------------------------+---------------------------+--------------------------
Will probably be        |                           |                         |
instrumental in forming |                           |   Maybe... where is     |
a void so deep the      |          No               |      this going?!       |
whole of earth will     |                           |                         | 
be destroyed by it?     |                           |                         |
------------------------+---------------------------+--------------------------
Burns your cookies?     |          No               | Right! This table of    |
                                                      comparisons ends here!  |
                                                      I will not be insulted 
                                                      here by some hack of a blogger
                                                      who can't even come up with
                                                      a proper table! Nobody calls
                                                      you because you have no friends!
                                                      Yeah! That's right! Read the manual buddy!

The Bloodthirsty Monster Up in the Trees

Nature, Social

There are sometimes discussion, and acknowledgement, of the alienation of urban people from nature. I got a first hand proof of this today. I was having lunch with a couple of fine ladies, the other one of which, happens to be gloriosly pregnant. The talk around the table turned to squirrels and the havoc they with e.g. pot plants.

The discussion quickly spiraled into the definite demonizing of squirrels, they are stupid, harmful, annoying and danger to children. Yes, that is correct. There was genuine fear around the table of a squirrel harming a baby left asleep in her carriage. Apparently there are even accessories sold to baby carriages to protect the child. From squirrels.

This situation puzzles me. It is obvious that the worry exerted by these women is genuine even though the basis for it might be irrational. Thus the actions they take as a response to that worry are rational. Buying something to protect that child from … squirrels will bring more credence to that worry, otherwise the act of buying those accessories becomes irrational. And so, very simply and stealthly, there’s a vested interest in preserving and defending (and probably embellishing) the original notion of squirrels as a danger to children.

On Nerds

Concepts, Programming, Social

As part of my work duties and my past academic record, I’ve come in contact with many a person that are referenced as nerds. By themselves too I might admit. This experience lends itself for me to make some observations on the nature of these people.

I’m not a nerd. There would be some notoriety in being but I’m not. My life is a collection of being in the middle, not quite this or that. This has some drawbacks and advantages, among the latter might be the ability to make observations one otherwise couldn’t.

Many nerds seem to be interested in language but language as a system. As a collection of rules and exceptions to those rules. I’m also interested in language, but mainly as a vehicle for meaning, the different ways to portray the same meaning and different meaning with the same apparent utterances.

I think this fascination with rules explains the interest many nerds have with programming. Programming languages are a far cry from the vagueness of human language. My interest in programming is mostly pragmatic, it is a means to an end. Most computer games, even today, are still written in programming languages. If you are interested in realizing computer games, it pays to know programming. I also enjoy solving problems, which programming ultimately is.

The supposed onsocialness of nerds is a muddier issue. Some nerds are as sociable as consultants. Some seem to lack certain confidence that translates in some minds as awkwardness in social settings. Some possess some esoteric interests that might translate poorly into conversation topics in a more broad setting. I like to think myself as socially adept, I have a broad range of subjects I’m somewhat familiar with, I have a quick mind although I have certain hang-ups, I’m not going to go in detail here. Although I’m not that drawn to people as such, I find you humans genuinely interesting.

The Social Rebel, Me

personal, Social

Last Saturday I was sitting in a cafe, reading a book, when a person addressed me. She asked me if I it was absolutely necessary for me to be barefooted in a place where people are eating.  I said:”Probably not.” She then proceeded to ask me to sit further away (I did) so she could eat. After that she left to get her supper while making the kinds of sounds appalled people do.

I was naturally taken a-back for causing such disharmony. I don’t particularly feel I’ve done something wrong being barefooted in a place where people eat, although I admit it might have stretched the limits of acceptable appearance. This caused me to think if there were any similar hung-ups I might myself have i.e. being upset enough for someone else for violating a (possibly outdated) social norm that I would say it out loud.

I found at least one such instance. I find myself strangely appalled by people (mostly women) for wearing those big sunglasses that make you look like a fly. Part of my dislike is not having sufficient kind of (eye-)contact with such people, often even the eyebrows are covered. Now, there’s an objective element here. As a cyclist, part of my survival tactic is to know when someone else has noticed me. If they don’t appeared to (whether they have for real or not)  I have to react myself. That’s passing the responsibility to somebody else. It happens much too often anyways.

If I’d run into an acquaintance and having a conversation with them while they had those kinds of glasses on I’d have no choice but to exclaim my dislike for the violation of giving-proper-human-feedback -principle by staring at their tits.

The Reason Al Gore Invented the Internet

personal

Is Ronald Jenkees. He’s a self-taught musician who uses lot of improvisation. And he’s full of Win. The way he obviously enjoys making his music, the way he’s music sounds and he’s obvious gargantuan talent just won me over in mere minutes. I am buying his CD. He’s appearance is the complete opposite of what you’d expect from a main-stream musician which pretty much works out to underline his talent.

Check out his YouTube channel and his record-store for sound bites from his album.

IBM ThinkPad Throw-aways

Current Matters

The company I’m currently working in a project with, is set to renew all their laptops for their salesstaff. This means that they have to get rid of their old laptops. The IT-guy told me that I could buy some of them for 100€ á piece.

These are a few years old IBM ThinkPads with one gig memory and a celeron processor, I believe. The harddrives need to be wiped clean before they are sold, for obvious reasons, but the IT-guy I talked promised that he could put a Linux Ubuntu on them for no extra charge. Since these are surplus machines they are in mint condition!

If anyone is interested in buying of those those through me, or ask any questions, you know the drill.

“There is always a last time for everything.”

Current Matters, personal

Arthur C. Clarke died today 19. March 2008 at the age of 90. 8´-(

ACC was one of my favourite authors. Hes books filled me with hope when I had no evidence whatsoever that things would ever get better. But I also love his prose. It is a joy to read, to which I have seldomly ran into before or after. As a personality he was encouraging, he convinced me that this was a good time to be alive, to see the future happen infront of our eyes.

If you wish to have your conscience expanded try these books by him:

  • Rendezvous with Rama (1972) (suom. Uhka avaruudesta*)
  • The Songs of Distant Earth (1986) (suom. Kaukaisen maan laulut)
  • The Fountains of Paradise (1979) (suom. Paratiisin suihkulähteet)
  • Childhood’s End (1953) (suom. Lapsuuden loppu)

Clarke told in an essay of his (The Memoirs of an Armchair Astronaut (Retired) (1993?)(suom.Nojatuoliastronautin (evp.) muistelmat)) about an encounter he had with J.R.R.Tolkien. ACC was a member of the British Interplanetary Society since the 1930’s. BIS were a fierce advocate of space exploration. Note that this was decades before we even scratched the earth orbit.

The members of the British Interplanetary Society and two opponents of extra-planetary research C.S.Lewis and J.R.R.Tolkien had a discussion about the meaningfullness of space exploration, Lewis and Tolkien were vehemently opposed to the idea, claiming that it was madness to ruin this planet and then run off to ruin others. The two sides never reached an agreement and after the discussion Tolkien told Clarke that he was absolutely convinced that he (Clarke) was an evil person, but it would be extremely boring if everyone was good. Parahprased from memory.

(*) I know, it’s a terrible translation.

<o Good night, Sir!