Newsgroups: comp.ai.philosophy
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From: vlsi_lib@netcom.com (Gerard Malecki)
Subject: Future of AI
Message-ID: <vlsi_libCwz0tn.5zo@netcom.com>
Organization: VLSI Libraries Incorporated
Date: Sat, 1 Oct 1994 01:44:11 GMT
Lines: 28

With rapid advances in computing power and mass storage, it seems very
likely that in the near future, computers would out-perform humans in
every aspect of analytic reasoning. Already, computers (and programs)
have become sufficiently powerful to beat the best chess players in the
world.
 
The ever-increasing affordability of desktop-based multimedia systems
can hasten this evolution. For a long time, the main bottleneck in
creating true and universal AI has been the non-existence of a database
of fundamental facts that humans learn and use in their daily lives.
But with CD-ROMs, we have the entire Encyclopedia Brittanica at a
computer's disposal. (Unfortunately, at present computers are only used
as a viewing tool for CD-ROM data for humans.) What is needed is a
critical amount of intelligence for computers to assimilate the data
in the CD-ROMs. We can then feed the computers with all the technical
and scientific papers (including papers on AI) published so far. From
there on, computers can take over, and they would figure out ways to make
themselves smarter (something we humans wish we knew). The computer would
soon lead every branch of science and mathematics, and future Nobel prizes
may belong to it.
 
Given this scenario, computers still cannot conquer humans for  we have
at our disposal the most powerful weapon of all: the power-on switch.
 
Shankar Ramakrishnan
 
ps - Since I am posting this from another person's account, please do
not send personal replies.
