Hi Ben,
Excellent. #4 it is. I'll proceed on that basis. I can't get funding
unless I present...and the timing is perfect for my PhD, so I'll be
working towards that.
Hong Kong sounds good. I assume it's the "Toward a Science of
Consciousness 2009" I'll chase it up. I didn't realise it was in Hong
Kong. The last one I went to was Tucson. 2006. It was a hoot. I wonder
if Dave Chalmers will do the 'end of consciousness' party and
blues-slam. :-) We'll see. Consider me 'applied for' as a workshop. I'll
do the applications ASAP.
regards,
Colin Hales
Ben Goertzel wrote:
In terms of a paper submission to AGI-09, I think that your option 4
would be of the most interest to the audience there. By and large
it's not a "philosophy of AI" crowd so much as a "how to build an AI"
crowd...
I am also organizing a workshop on machine consciousness that will be
in Hong Kong in June 09, following the major consciousness conference
there ... for that workshop, your option 3 would be of great interest...
ben
On Fri, Oct 3, 2008 at 5:01 PM, Colin Hales
<[EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>>
wrote:
Dear AGI folk,
I am testing my registration on the system,, saying an inaugural
'hi' and seeking guidance in respect of potential submissions for
a presentation spot at the next AGI conference.
It is time for me to become more visible in AGI after 5 years of
research and reprogramming my brain into the academic side of
things.... My plans as a post-doc are to develop a novel chip
technology. It will form the basis for what I have called
'A-Fauna'. I call it A-Fauna because it will act like biological
organisms and take their place alongside natural fauna in a chosen
ecological niche. Like tending a field as a benign 'artificial
weed-killer'...they know and prefer their weeds...you get the
idea. They are AGI robots that learn (are coached) to operate in a
specific role and then are 'intellectually nobbled' (equivalent to
biology), so their ability to handle novelty is specifically and
especially curtailed. They will also be a whole bunch cheaper in
that form...They are then deployed into that specific role and
will be happy little campers. These creatures are different to
typical mainstream AI fare because they cannot be taught how to
learn. They are like us: they learn how to learn. As a result they
can handle novelty better...a long story...Initially the A-Fauna
is very small but potentially it could get to human level. The
first part of the development is the initial proof of specific
physics, which requires a key experiment. I can't wait to do this!
The success of the experiment then leads to development and
miniaturisation and eventual application into a prototype
'critter', which will then have to be proven to have
P-consciousness (using the test in 3 below)....anyway...that's the
rough 'me' of it.
I am in NICTA www.nicta.com.au <http://www.nicta.com.au>
Victoria Research Lab in the Life-Sciences theme.
Department of Electrical/Electronic Eng, University of Melbourne
So....the AGI-09 basic topics to choose from are:
1) Empirical refutation of computationalism
2) Another thought experiment refutation of computationalism. "The
Totally Blind Zombie Homunculus Room"
3) An objective test for Phenomenal consciousness.
4) A novel backpropagation mechanism in an excitable cell
membrane/syncytium context.
1) and 2) are interesting because the implication is that if
anyone doing AGI lifts their finger over a keyboard thinking they
can be directly involved in programming anything to do with the
eventual knowledge of the creature...they have already failed. I
don't know whether the community has internalised this yet. BTW
that makes 4 ways that computationalism has been shot. How dead
does it have to get? :-) I am less interested in these than the
others.
3) Is a special test which can be used to empirically test for
P-consciousness in an embedded, embodied artificial agent. I need
this test framework for my future AGI developments...one day I
need to be able to point at at my AGI robot and claim it is having
experiences of a certain type and to be believed. AGI needs a test
like this to get scientific credibility. "So you claim it's
conscious?....prove it!". This is problematic but I am reasonably
sure I have worked out a way.... So it needs some attention (a
paper is coming out sometime soon I hope. They told me it was
accepted, anyway...). The test is double-blind/clinical style with
'wild-type' control and 'test subject'...BTW the computationalist
contender (1/2 above) is quite validly tested but would operate as
a sham/placebo control... because it is known they will always
fail. Although anyone serious enough can offer it as a full
contender. Funnily enough it also proves humans are conscious! In
case you were wondering...humans are the wild-type control.
4) Is my main PhD topic. I submit this time next year. (I'd prefer
to do this because I can get funded to go to the conference!). It
reveals a neural adaptation mechanism that is completely missing
from present neural models. It's based on molecular
electrodynamics of the neural membrane. The effect then operates
in the syncytium as a regulatory (synchrony) bias operating in
quadrature with (and roughly independent of) the normal synaptic
adaptation.
I prefer 4) because of the funding but also because I'd much
rather reveal it to the AGI community - because that is my
future...but I will defer to preferences of the group....I can
always cover 1,2,3 informally when I am there if there's any
interest....so...which of these (any) is of interest?...I'm not
sure of the kinds of things you folk want to hear about. All
comments are appreciated.
regards to all,
Colin Hales
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Ben Goertzel, PhD
CEO, Novamente LLC and Biomind LLC
Director of Research, SIAI
[EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
"Nothing will ever be attempted if all possible objections must be
first overcome " - Dr Samuel Johnson
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