In 1950, computer scientist Alan Turing devised a rather simple test for evaluating the intelligence of a computer. In the “Turing Test,” a human evaluator holds a conversation with two or more “people” in which one individual is secretly a computer. The computer tries to imitate a real person, and if the evaluator is fooled, then the computer has reached human intelligence. At the time, Turing estimated that computers capable of passing this test would be developed by the turn of the century. But as anyone who has talked to Cleverbot knows, we are still far from achieving this goal.…
Comments closedCategory: Neuroscience
So far, in our series on the architecture of thought, we’ve dissected the conductive power of neurons and the vast interconnected web of the peripheral nervous system. The nervous system is an incredibly complex machine, so you may be feeling overwhelmed by now (if you’re not overwhelmed, consider this: your nervous system is currently trying to understand the nervous system). Before we dive into the next section, let’s take a moment to ground ourselves using my favorite grounding exercise. Take a deep breath and settle into the space around you. Now, look around you and name five things you can…
Comments closed
Try this experiment at home with a friend: close your eyes and have your friend slap you across the face (probably don’t choose a friend who would take some sort of sick pleasure in hitting you as hard as possible). Wait a minute or so and then repeat the experiment with your friend softly caressing your face instead. Now, compare these two experiences and how you perceived them. The slap and the caress both involved someone else touching the same area of skin, alerting sensory neurons beneath the skin and causing an electrochemical impulse to move through the nervous system…
Comments closed
This month, we’re shifting our focus to look at the most intelligent, flexible, efficient, and complex supercomputer in the world: the human brain. Despite the tantalizing promises of science fiction, no one has yet been able to create an A.I. with comparable complexity—one that would not just execute commands but also think, feel, and understand the world the way that humans do. There is still so much we do not understand about the brain and how its physiology connects with our thoughts, feelings, and actions. How can a 3-pound blob of fatty neurons explain all of the weird, wonderful, scary,…
Comments closed