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Library | Item Barcode | Call Number | Material Type | Item Category 1 | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Searching... | 33000000002394 | TA164.4 F55 2016 | Open Access Book | Book | Searching... |
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Summary
Summary
It is well known that every animal species obeys Darwin's law of evolution, which requires permanent adaptation of animals to their environment. To be precise, every species except man, who behaves exactly contrariwise, adapting the workplace to himself in order to survive. For that he generally enjoys a particular gift of nature: intelligence.That reverse adaptation, which accumulated over centuries, led to what we call 'progress'. This was enhanced by the development of machines which began to be also intelligent and now compete fiercely with humans through the development of an 'artificial intelligence'.Some famous people in the world of science and technology recently sounded the alarm about the threats which these improvements are posing. They invoked a possible domination by the machines due to their uncontrolled superior intelligence, potentially leading us into a certain kind of slavery.In this book we take a look at this new challenge of the human brain versus the computer. The brain is a very complex organ and we are just beginning to understand how it works; many things remain mysterious and can lead to surprises. We will see how current investigations bring new information about this strange organ.We will also see how the 'artificial challenger' plans to win the battle, how computers are getting more and more powerful and subtle as the AI advances. Would a transfer of minds in a machine be possible? Would the computer be capable of a self, nonneuromorphic intelligence? These questions are now open.Who will win? We do not know yet. But it is certain that many things are going to change in our lives in the very near future.
Reviews 1
Choice Review
The range and sophistication of activities computers carry out has increased rapidly in recent years; these are expanding at an exponential rate. There are spectacular achievements: computer programs beating human world champions in chess, Jeopardy!, and Go. In addition, there are remarkable advances in what computers can accomplish in medical analysis, architectural design, complex decision-making, natural language processing, and robotics. The achievements are many and impressive. Nowadays, there is much debate on the limits of this artificial/machine intelligence, and whether it will surpass, or at least match, human intelligence in some areas where it lags behind, and whether this will pose a danger to human kind. This book offers a wide-ranging discussion of this topic, starting with a capsule description of the human brain. At times, the subject matter is vast, and Fillard (Univ. of Montpellier II, France) verges on the cryptic; but he provides sufficient references for follow up. Some of his reflections (e.g., on consciousness, the soul, and the relationship of computers to religion) are intriguing. General readers (especially) and all those involved in computing will benefit from considering the profound questions that are raised in this work. Summing Up: Recommended. All readers. --R. Bharath, Northern Michigan University
