[ExI] Wrestling with Embodiment

[BillK]

On Mon, Jan 23, 2012 at 12:37 AM, Alan Grimes wrote:
> Have you done any research on the perception of time? Is it a byproduct of
> cortical functions or are specific anatomical features required?
>
> Accelerating an upload is likely to be absurdly expensive because of the
> inefficiencies of simulating synapses. An AI would be much cheaper to
> accelerate. however, I would value improving the BREADTH and DEPTH of
> intelligence much more than I would it's SPEED.
>
>


Processing speed is only one factor in general intelligence. But a
very important factor. That why the general term for low IQ people is
'slow'.  Processing speed is also the factor most affected by ageing.
The graphs for all IQ factors (except experience, knowledge, training,
etc.) slope downwards from the peak around age 30. But the processing
speed graph has a much steeper decline. In practice, this decline is
probably not noticeable until your mid 40s as humans move over the
rounded top of the curve. The general knowledge graph (let's call it
wisdom) doesn't peak until around age 60 and the decline afterwards is
not very significant.

Humans value processing speed in day-to-day activity as we want quick
answers. If an emergency is approaching, time is of the essence in
quickly assessing the options available. Taking a day off to think
about a problem is not widely supported these days. Although 'sleeping
on it' is often the best technique for problem-solving. i.e. fast
processing speed doesn't necessarily produce better answers. You need
all the other factors of intelligence as well.


As the saying goes, Time is what stops everything happening at once.
There is time in the outside world and internal time where you are
processing outside stimuli and thinking about them. What happens
inside the brain doesn't affect the speed of things happening in the
outside world. So if an artificial intelligence is processing
thousands of times faster and communicating with other AIs thousands
of times faster, they will become detached from outside world stimuli.


So what will they be thinking about?  Good question.


BillK