[ExI] Some new angle about AI

[Stefano Vaj]

2009/12/28 Stathis Papaioannou <stathisp at gmail.com>:
> It still remains a possibility that the brain does in fact utilise
> uncomputable physics. This is the position of Roger Penrose, who
> believes neither strong AI nor weak AI is possible, and speculates
> that an as yet undiscovered theory of quantum gravity plays an
> important role in subcellular processes and will turn out to be
> uncomputable. The problem with this idea is that there is no evidence
> for it, and most scientists dismiss it out of hand; but at least it
> has the merit of consistency.

One wonders, since there is no obvious hint that quantum mechanics or
other low-level physical effects play any role with regard to the
working of liver cells, and I do not see why this would be any
different with regard to the brain of an ant - and thus to that of a
human being.

But, there again, quantum computing fully remains in the field of
computability, does it not? And the existence of "organic computers"
implementing such principles would be proof that such computers can be
built. In fact, I would suspect that "quantum computation", in a
Wolframian sense", would be all around us, also in other, non-organic,
systems.

There again, the theoretical issue would be simply that of executing a
program emulating what we execute ourselves closely enough to qualify
as "human-like" for arbitrary purposes, and find ways to implement it
in manner not making us await its responses for multiples of the
duration of the Universe... ;-)

-- 
Stefano Vaj