It would be nice if we could understand the data from other species. They do not necessarily speak a language we would recognise but if we had better fidelity data about the behaviour of other species and ecologies that would help us to understand the planet, otherwise I think we can be blinded by our own abstractions like austerity economics and account deficit phobias.
On 22 February 2016 at 12:00, Roger Clarke <[email protected]> wrote: > At 11:23 +1030 22/2/16, Glen Turner wrote: > >The essential argument was between artificial intelligence (John > >McCarthy, Marvin Minsky, Herbert A Simon, based around MIT, CMU and > >Stanford SAIL) and computer augmentation of human thought (Vannevar > >Bush, Douglas Engelbart, based around Stanford's SRI and, later, Xerox > >PARC). There was some bad blood between the two groups; bear that in > >mind if you read historical documents. > > > >Good Old Fashioned AI is now widely seen as having limited success. The > >predictions of practitioners of the time now look a little fantastical. > >Many of the algorithms of the era are today learned and used without > >the related claims of 'intelligence'. > > > >Augmentation of human thought was a dramatic success. The smartphone is > >pretty much an implementation of Bush and Engelbart's wildest dreams. > > All very nicely put. (What else would I expect??). > > I recently repeated my nasty comments about Simon, Minsky & co. (this time > in the context of drones), and tried yet again with the 'complementary > intelligence' meme: > http://www.rogerclarke.com/SOS/Drones-I.html#CSD > > >In reaction against the reductionism of decision systems, decision > support systems emerged. These effectively adopt the position that what > human decision-makers need is not artificial, humanlike intelligence (which > is already available in great quantity), but rather an alternative form of > intelligence that humans exhibit far less, and that can be usefully > referred to as 'complementary intelligence' (Clarke 1989): "Surely man and > machine are natural complements: They assist one another" (Wyndham 1932). > Together, the collaborative whole would be, in the words of Bolter (1986, > p. 238) 'synthetic intelligence'. > > > >To function as a decision support system, however, software must produce > information useful to human decision-makers (such as analyses of the > apparent sensitivity of output variables to input variables). > Alternatively, a decision support system might offer recommended actions, > together with explanations of the rationale underlying the recommendations. > But is this feasible? > > > -- > Roger Clarke http://www.rogerclarke.com/ > > Xamax Consultancy Pty Ltd 78 Sidaway St, Chapman ACT 2611 AUSTRALIA > Tel: +61 2 6288 6916 http://about.me/roger.clarke > mailto:[email protected] http://www.xamax.com.au/ > > Visiting Professor in the Faculty of Law University of N.S.W. > Visiting Professor in Computer Science Australian National University > _______________________________________________ > Link mailing list > [email protected] > http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link > _______________________________________________ Link mailing list [email protected] http://mailman.anu.edu.au/mailman/listinfo/link
