The
human brain is one example of a system that at least
appears to exhibit
emergent behaviour that ``
thinks''. It comprises a number of
units (viz.,
neurons) which operate individually quite simply (from a
black box perspective; internally,
neurons are just as complex as any other
cell). There are a
number of such units (100 billion or so),
interconnected in various ways we don't
understand.
Here's the rub: it took billions of years for multicellular organisms to evolve brains of complexity sufficient to exhibit ``thinking-like'' behaviour. How do researchers intend to simulate aeons of evolution? Genetic algorithms. Now we are faced with two problems:
- Not only are we simulating unbelievably complex systems, but now we're supposed to be simulating thousands or preferably millions of different such systems and combining them in unspecified ways---millions of times.
- How exactly do you go about measuring intelligence (thinkingness)? How long does it take to tell whether a simulated brain is intelligent? Or do we just simulate evolution in general, and hope we get intelligence rather than (say) lots of brute force?
The
Scruffies may have a better chance than the
Neats, but current
technology, or technology forseeable in the next N decades, isn't going to give them a
brain.