I would agree that any practical AGI program that I could imagine would tend to compress some data. However, that does not mean that any good compressor is practical AGI program.
Now do all AGI programs have to be compressors? I would say that on a theoretical basis no. For instance, if there was an effective AGI program that compressed some data through common references, I could offer another AGI program that worked as well but simply duplicated all the common references as they were needed to be used in some specific circumstance. This shows that, on a theoretical basis, some AGI programs would not need to act as compressors. Now, let's see if all good effective AGI algorithms would effectively compress data in all cases. We know that search time is one of the main contemporary problems and so this suggests that duplication - at least in some circumstances- might be more effective than compression. So to say that compression is the same as AGI is an over generalization. To say that any theoretical AGI program would have to be a compressor is an over generalization. To say that all effective AGI algorithms will effectively compress data in all circumstances (as it learns) is an over generalization. Although I agree that any practical AGI program that I could imagine will tend to compress some data, the imagined theoretical correlation between compression and AGI is just not strong enough to argue that compression is a good test of knowing. Jim Bromer On Mon, Sep 3, 2012 at 11:23 AM, Jim Bromer <[email protected]> wrote: > On Sat, Sep 1, 2012 at 1:35 PM, Abram Demski <[email protected]>wrote: > >> This is *why* compression is a good test! It is a harsh test for >> "knowing". > > > > Abram, > That doesn't make any sense. You would have to substantiate that there is > a high correlation between compression with "knowing" in order to make that > statement. So far, the only correlation is of the nature of statements > like those which say that calculators can do something that had previously > only been possible for human beings to do. Although that kind of > achievement can be taken as evidence that computers are able to do some > kinds of thinking, that kind of thinking has been repeatedly repudiated in > this group as being "narrow AI" and not AGI. So your claim that > compression is a good harsh test for knowing has to be absolutely > repudiated as well. > > I am glad that I am able to categorize the compression-is-intelligence > approach as "narrow AI" even though I am not totally happy with that > label. Because now, for the first time, I will be able to chip away at the > basis of the approach (at least in this group) without having to go through > some long winded reasoning that will be mostly ignored in this group (as it > obviously has been in the past.) > > Compression is not a test for "knowing", except possibly for some special > cases of narrow AI methods. > > Jim Bromer > > > > > On Sat, Sep 1, 2012 at 1:35 PM, Abram Demski <[email protected]>wrote: > >> Jim, >> >> This is *why* compression is a good test! It is a harsh test for >> "knowing". >> >> --Abram >> >> On Fri, Aug 31, 2012 at 6:26 PM, Jim Bromer <[email protected]> wrote: >> >>> One of the mistakes that the compressors-is-intelligence guys make is >>> that an ideal compression of knowledge cannot be made before knowing >>> occurs. This is so obvious that some people will go to some lengths >>> to point it out. But some of the implications are also really obvious >>> as well. >>> >>> If an ideal compression cannot be made before knowing has occurred >>> then an ideal compression can never be made for a program that is >>> capable of learning because it will always be able to learn something >>> new. Isn't this obvious? >>> Jim Bromer >>> >>> >>> ------------------------------------------- >>> AGI >>> Archives: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/303/=now >>> RSS Feed: >>> https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/rss/303/7190161-766c6f07 >>> Modify Your Subscription: https://www.listbox.com/member/?&; >>> Powered by Listbox: http://www.listbox.com >>> >> >> >> >> -- >> Abram Demski >> http://lo-tho.blogspot.com/ >> >> *AGI* | Archives <https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/303/=now> >> <https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/rss/303/10561250-164650b2> | >> Modify<https://www.listbox.com/member/?&;>Your Subscription >> <http://www.listbox.com> >> > > ------------------------------------------- AGI Archives: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/303/=now RSS Feed: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/rss/303/21088071-c97d2393 Modify Your Subscription: https://www.listbox.com/member/?member_id=21088071&id_secret=21088071-2484a968 Powered by Listbox: http://www.listbox.com
