Writing 2010
Professor E. Rogers
3/17/16
Literature Analysis on Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence or AI is essentially computer logic, it is labeled as
being the intelligence manifested through computers and it is a topic of
controversial debate that delves into the fields of not only computer science
but also psychology and philosophy. Some question whether it can even be
labelled intelligence because of its mathematical limits and others are much
more optimistic for the future with hopes that advancements will one day
cause opposition to change perspective. The overarching questions however,
at their foundation are: should we keep advancing technology, how these
advancements can become applicable to every day use, and are we headed
in the right direction with the field.
Noam Chomsky, prominent linguist and cognitive scientist weighs in on
this debate and labels the science of AI as unique and unlike any other
science but also argues that the field is headed in the wrong direction and is
attempting to make sense of a fluid-like world into a rigid rubric of ones and
zeros. He claims that throwing data at a machine and using its raw power to
extract information is useful but definitely not the intelligence it is claimed to
be, exemplified by his quote, "So if you get more and more data, and better
and better statistics, you can get a better and better approximation to some
immense corpus of text, like everything in The Wall Street Journal archives -but you learn nothing about the language" (Chomsky, Noam) the argument
he proposes is then that this knowledge is not genuine and that although it
may be possible to obtain every bit of data, it will never be real, only an
approximation of real. He was later asked to discuss his opinion on 'conscious
wiring', the process of identifying every synaptic connection and attempting
to predict behavior, he responds with the results of an experiment taken at
MIT where researchers attempt to map out a common Roundworms brain:
"where you know the wiring diagram, I think there's 800 neurons or
something ... you can't predict what the thing [C. elegans nematode] is going
to do. Maybe because you're looking in the wrong place"(Chomsky, Noam).
The argument again is then that research is headed in the wrong direction
and he points out that the discrepancy between AI and Natural Intelligence
should become established.
The true test of AI for intelligence would be if a machine could
understand emotions, make a joke, or understand sarcasm. Author of The
Perplexing Conclusion, Alexander Barzel argues that, a machine will never
be able to exhibit this type of knowledge because " To understand means to
grasp the reason and purpose of the construction of a system of meaning,
i.e. to comprehend the quality of relationships between its components"
(Barzel, Alexander). He claims that AI can not comprehend every aspect of
life that humans evoke, that it is fundamentally incorrect to do and even if
there ever was a powerful enough computer to 'map' out the world as
ethical and moral questions" (Stone and Lavine). AI has definitely surpassed
some of its earlier expectations and researches believe that it is actually
evolving and although not every question is answered yet, there might still
be a chance to unify AI and NI in some sort of agreement. It's becoming
apparent that technology is merging intimately with humans and ethical and
moral questions are being raised: can an intelligent machine be held to the
same ethical standard, can it become sentient, and where to establish limits
in the field. The question of whether to pursue unification of both AI and NI
or reduce them both down to their core elements is a question that really
exemplifies the 'mystique' of science, "like chemistry and physics, and I think
they're quite relevant to the state of the cognitive and neurosciences today"
(Chomsky, Noam) chemistry and physics are examples of how intensely
focused sciences can sometimes reveal an overarching principle that ties the
two together even when the means of obtaining the information were
precise, reductionist, thought processes and experiments. AI seems to be
taking a very logic based course of direction, research is highly technical and
a unification theory is really not at the top of the priority list. Researchers
instead look for things that can be applied and have actual 'use' in the
context of whatever it is that the machine is being related to.
Advancements in the field only excite its proponents even further and
when something is discovered or developed, it only pushes the computer
scientists for more "The development of methods for... distributed message
passing over large networks of variable suggests that similar procedures
binary is being blurred and their really isn't an overall consensus of what's
happening. The free market and profit being made feed advancements and
cloud based systems allow AI to grow and become deeply rooted in day to
day life " The more people who use an AI, the smarter it gets. The smarter it
gets, the more people use it... AI future is likely to be ruled by an oligarchy of
two or three large, general-purpose cloud-based commercial intelligences"
(Kelly, Kevin) the growing industry seems to be defying odds and becoming
an intelligent being in relation to the increasingly integrated computational
world.
The increasing processing power, the large amounts of data being
stored, and the integration of AI in every day life has really blurred the line of
what Natural Intelligence is and what the limitations are of Artificial
Intelligence are. Natural Intelligence is defined by the ability to think
abstractly and intuitively and also by the rational algorithmic capabilities of
the mind. Artificial Intelligence however is defined through input-output
systems and how many dots it can connect with given information. It can
only compute what is already known and can not effectively act as a human
or produce an outcome that would be ideal through irrational means or
change thought processes in the middle of an algorithm. AI has gained a lot
of momentum because society is building an infrastructure around it and is
making the world around it conform to the input-output systems of
computational power. The achievements of AI however are seen as positive,
integration of medicine and AI is the strongest argument in favor of its
REFERENCES
Barzel, Alexander. "The Perplexing Conclusion: The Essential Difference
Between Natural And Artificial Intelligence Is Human Beings' Ability To
Deceive." Journal Of Applied Philosophy 15.2 (1998): 165. Academic Search
Premier. Web. 29 Feb. 2016.
Gershman, Samuel J., Eric J. Horvitz, and Joshua B. Tenenbaum.
"Computational Rationality: A Converging Paradigm For Intelligence In Brains,
Minds, And Machines." Science 349.6245 (2015): 273-278. Academic Search
Premier. Web. 29 Feb. 2016.
Lohr, Steve. "The Promise of Artificial Intelligence Unfolds in Small Steps."
The New York Times. The New York Times, 2016. Web. 07 Mar. 2016.
Kelly, Kevim. "The Three Breakthroughs That Have Finally Unleashed AI
on the World." Wired.com. Conde Nast Digital, 27 Oct. 2014. Web. 07 Mar.
2016.
Katz, Yarden. "Noam Chomsky On Where Artificial Intelligence Went
Wrong." The Atlantic. Atlantic Media Company, 1 Nov. 2012. Web. 07 Mar.
2016.
Stone, Richard, and Marc Lavine. "The Social Life Of Robots." Science
346.6206 (2014): 178-179. Academic Search Premier. Web. 29 Feb. 2016.