Sentient Computer ?????

**brif** · 04-09-2002

"A person IS just a brain, your personality, memories are all stored in your brain, your feelings, senses, everything is processes in your brain forming the person that you are. That much has been proven countless times, there are plenty of examples that show that people who have trauma to a particular part of the brain can get complete new personalities after the accident. "

Are you sure?

There is the problem of implied knowledge, how do you know something youve never been told? It may be possible for some things to 'work them out' from previous explicit knowledge but others this appears imposible.

The most abstract theory about this is that of metamorphic fields. This is a sort of common knowledge database 'ether' that every brain is connected too. Although it is bizare it does explain alot of things.

I'm convinced my computer is intelligent, everytime, just as I'm about to finnish doing something important it decides to blue screen me. How does it know?

**Deckard** · 04-09-2002

Originally posted by a couple of people
Sentient merely means "aware" or concious.
and
i thought sentient meant self-aware, in the sense that say i know i'm a human being, i live on a planet etc...

As a public service, I humbly submit a link for the definition of sentient.

**Clyde** · 04-09-2002

"Are you sure? "

Quite sure

"The most abstract theory about this is that of metamorphic fields. This is a sort of common knowledge database 'ether' that every brain is connected too. Although it is bizare it does explain alot of things."

You mean magic, a "metamorphic field" is another way of saying magic.

There is no doubt that the brain is the be all and end all. Neurology has shown which areas of the brain controll what.

We know the parts of the brain that store memory, personality, control the autonomic nervous system, process data from the senses, control motor functions... all of its there.

**Clyde** · 04-09-2002

"As a public service, I humbly submit a link for the definition of sentient."

Hey I was pretty close

**Scourfish** · 04-09-2002

The day computers become sentient is the day I will launch the counterstrike against the machine's attempt to take over the world.

**novacain** · 04-10-2002

Anyone seen 'Dark Star"? With the sentient bomb?

Last thing I want is a computer that turns its self off if I am angry with it.

Or sulks and refuses to play if it does not get the upgrade it wants.

Or gets a virus from some porn site it has been surfing while I was out.

**tim545666** · 04-10-2002

Originally posted by novacain

Or gets a virus from some porn site it has been surfing while I was out.

lol!

**adrianxw** · 04-10-2002

Neural network machines, (based upon the architecture of the brain), are very good at solving certain types of problems.

Bear in mind the many millions of interconnected neurons in a complex brain and the few thousands of "neurons" in a typical artificial neural network, (ANN), the results are impressive.

The best ANN I worked with was for predicting gas demand given weather forecast details, calendar details, and a few other factors. This system, trained with 30 years of historical data, (of variable quality), performed at least as well as the control room staff that normally "guessed" what the demand would be based on similar experience. The statistical analysis of the results did not show the ANN was better, but it was not worse.

The ANN, when presnted with certain input combinations, reacted in certain ways, just like most life forms.

One problem that faces artificial intelligence researchers is the poor definition of intelligence. Turings tests are frequently referred too, but that is only a "human like" intelligence test at best. An alien having a totally different evolution is quite likely to have completely different thought processes, and we would have a hard time understanding each other in abstract matters.

How will we know if a system has a concept of self awareness?

**Clyde** · 04-10-2002

"How will we know if a system has a concept of self awareness?"

That's the million dollar question

, we won't know "directly", since it could be "faking", the only way we'll be able to guess is by trying to work out what makes us aware, and then applying the same reasoning on the machine.

**adrianxw** · 04-10-2002

>>> trying to work out what makes us aware,

Yup. This is a problem that has plagued the discipline. Once you have a hard and fast definition, you can code towards it, test it, etc. but coding towards/testing for the abstract is doomed.

ANN's are a really interesting approach.

**Deckard** · 04-10-2002

Originally posted by novacain
Anyone seen 'Dark Star"? With the sentient bomb?

Yes! I love the part where one crew member is stuck in the elevator.

I would really like to have a wav from that movie where the computer (bomb 20, I believe) answers a question with "You mean you don't know??".

**adrianxw** · 04-10-2002

"And the bomb said 'let there be light'" - bang!

**stevey** · 04-10-2002

Originally posted by adrianxw
"And the bomb said 'let there be light'" - bang!

yeah, its a great film !! the bomb thought it was god !!!!

thanx for definitions ->

sentient

\Sen"ti*ent\, n. One who has the faculty of perception; a sentient being.
Source: Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.

sen·tient Pronunciation Key (snshnt, -sh-nt)
adj.
Having sense perception; conscious: “The living knew themselves just sentient puppets on God's stage” (T.E. Lawrence).
Experiencing sensation or feeling.

i still say only humans are sentient, going with the faculty of perception, if you're going for "Experiencing sensation or feeling. ", then that would include all life surely !!! anyway..........

as a sentient computer, who could forget HAL in 2001......
"mary had a little lamb....."
"open the pod bay doors please HAL"
"what are you doing Dave......"

classic !!!!!!

**Clyde** · 04-10-2002

"if you're going for "Experiencing sensation or feeling. ", then that would include all life surely !!! anyway.......... "

Not at all, you can connect a computer to a camera and get it to analyse the image and "conclude" things from it, doesn't mean the computer "sees".

Insects almost certainly do not "experience" sensation, they are no different to complex computer programs:

**stevey** · 04-10-2002

>>Insects almost certainly do not "experience" sensation, they are no different to complex computer programs:

ok, but all animals do.

i don't think your computer is experiencing sensation in your scenario......

yes i think of insects as complicated machines only, i feel nothing to step on a bug !!!!

look at what fantastic m/c's they are though, could we ever make anything so complicated ????? weve a long long way to go......
can't even make a robot to handle stairs !!!