[extropy-chat] Not necessary smarter, just faster?

[Eliezer S. Yudkowsky]

Samantha Atkins wrote:
> 
> It also seems very likely that the neocortex would optimize many 
> problems faster and more fully when run at vastly higher speeds with 
> equivalently speeded up inputs.  Such a brain would be smarter over time 
> and in much shorter time than otherwise.   

1)  Didn't you mean to say vastly higher speeds *without* equivalently 
speeded up inputs?  Otherwise you have a simple isomorphism that 
wouldn't optimize any faster or more fully.

2)  If you try any hack that *isn't* a simple isomorphism, the neocortex 
will probably break down unless you use an extremely tricky engineering 
hack to keep it running sanely.  The human brain is not 
end-user-modifiable and its parts are not individually overclockable. 
If the neocortex has any inputs that depend on spiking frequency or 
spike timing (d'you think?) then speeding up the inputs breaks the API.

-- 
Eliezer S. Yudkowsky                          http://singinst.org/
Research Fellow, Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence