COGNITIVE EXPANSION TECHNOLOGIES
by W. S. BAINBRIDGE.
Journal of Evolution and Technology, 19[1]:8-16, 2008.
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Review by Professor George F. Hart, LSU.
Recommended reading.
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Professor Bainbridge’s theme is that the human mind is being transformed as individuals become more intertwined with electronic technologies that perceive, process and present information. This process will continue with advancements in W3 technologies that use human criteria and reasoning in their search methodologies: following the concept of W3 as an extended brain [memory + reasoning] that can be utilized by individuals. Professor Bainbridge, however, sees beyond this stage to one in which computers include personality traits of a user.
From my viewpoint, the excitement of this article is that Professor Bainbridge outlines one way whereby we may eventually be able to identify what I have called the ‘humanity trait(s)”; and, help to answer the question I posed “What of humanity do we want to incorporate into our robotic descendents?” [Hart, 2008]. The kind of development he envisages and documents is a ‘bottom up’ approach to training computers about the human mind. The cleverness of this lies in that such an approach is soundly grounded in the Theory of Evolution: the individuals within the cultural gamodeme will generate the important criteria that will dominate the system.
Professor Bainbridge outlines an approach that I find strikingly simple but with potentially profound consequences for the evolution of robotic intelligence. His unique approach is that the capture of an individual personality may be possible by one person answering many questions set by many other individuals. This could cause an intelligent computer to derive associations that provide a deeper insight into human reasoning: I wonder now if my own estimate of 300 years to develop a robot that has a manufactured consciousness and incorporates the ‘humanity trait(s)” is too long. Although I think Ray Kurzweil’s estimate is too short, perhaps this century will see Robotico earthensis (Hart, 2008) evolve.
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Hart, G. F., Evolution and the Future of Humanity, Homo sapiens’ galactic future. eBook edition. ScienceAnd Publications, Boulder, Colorado. ISBN-13 978-0-9818642-0-4 ,
Reference link: www.ScienceAnd.com.