Just A New Fractal Detail In The Big Picture (2015) • Hacker News Board

Re: Just A New Fractal Detail In The Big Picture (2015)

#51

Post by seanalltogether » Sun, Jul 03, 2016, 9:24 PM UTC

JumpCrisscross wrote: post #47

> I read once that human brains began shrinking about 10 thousand years ago and are now as much as 15% smaller than they were then. Timeline's a bit off, but the science is still a shocker: > Over the past 20,000 years, the average volume of the human male brain has decreased from 1,500 cubic centimeters to 1,350 cc, losing a chunk the size of a tennis ball. The female brain has shrunk by about the same proportion. h…

Size may be smaller, but I wonder about the surface area through folds. That's where the strength of our intelligence lies.

Re: Just A New Fractal Detail In The Big Picture (2015)

#52

Post by tome » Sun, Jul 03, 2016, 9:28 PM UTC

timboisvert wrote: post #6

PeCaN wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

AI and basic income in the same comment. I almost forgot I was on HN for a second there.

A Haskell mention would've completed the HN trifecta.

And an honourable mention for Georgist land taxation.

Re: Just A New Fractal Detail In The Big Picture (2015)

#53

Post by dd36 » Sun, Jul 03, 2016, 9:36 PM UTC

This is similar to Kevin Kelly's technium theory: http://kk.org/thetechnium/

Technological innovation is an extension of evolution. Whether that's the invention of the alphabet or a computer, we are a part of this system continuing evolution.

Re: Just A New Fractal Detail In The Big Picture (2015)

#54

Post by peter303 » Sun, Jul 03, 2016, 9:37 PM UTC

Some concepts have an implied prefix "digital computer-aided" to distinguish from related concepts. We all know we are intensely interested in the computer version.

Another example is "virtual reality" which existed since cavemen made up campfire stories and drew wall pictures.

Re: Just A New Fractal Detail In The Big Picture (2015)

#55

Post by RIMR » Sun, Jul 03, 2016, 9:39 PM UTC

johnchristopher wrote: post #24

Right. Let's again substitute the meaning of a word or a concept for another one and start up another dictionary debate.

I think you're missing the point.

The idea is that artificial intelligence will prevent us from having to understand a lot of things in order to accomplish them, but that effect is no different than any other technological innovation we have made.

The definition of AI has also changed plenty in the past sixty-something years we've been developing it.

A couple of good Wiki links on the subject: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_artificial_intellig... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AI_winter

Re: Just A New Fractal Detail In The Big Picture (2015)

#56

Post by peter303 » Sun, Jul 03, 2016, 9:44 PM UTC

JumpCrisscross wrote: post #47

> I read once that human brains began shrinking about 10 thousand years ago and are now as much as 15% smaller than they were then. Timeline's a bit off, but the science is still a shocker: > Over the past 20,000 years, the average volume of the human male brain has decreased from 1,500 cubic centimeters to 1,350 cc, losing a chunk the size of a tennis ball. The female brain has shrunk by about the same proportion. h…

Plus there is gene of unknown function called DUF1220 which seems have something to do with brain size. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/DUF1220 There are more copies of it as brain size increases in mammals and apes. The Neanderthal genome has more of it than Sapiens.

Re: Just A New Fractal Detail In The Big Picture (2015)

#57

Post by RIMR » Sun, Jul 03, 2016, 9:44 PM UTC

cobbzilla wrote: post #48

seems like an issue of semantics - he's taking something most of us would just call "human culture" and naming it "AI" - which is an interesting idea, but true artificial intelligence is something that involves some amount of self awareness of the system to itself.

To be further semantic, one could say you're referring to AI automata, not just AI.

Re: Just A New Fractal Detail In The Big Picture (2015)

#58

Post by gballan » Sun, Jul 03, 2016, 9:57 PM UTC

campground wrote: post #33

This is similar to a thought I've had for some time now; That artificial intelligence is most likely to emerge - rather than be explicitly designed - from our increasingly complex, interconnected, self-regulating systems and institutions. We will be no more aware of, or able to converse with it, than the bacteria in our guts are aware of us. Also, artificial intelligence is the wrong term. We have artificial intellig…

This is (AFAIK) the basic idea of Integrated Information Theory: http://www.scottaaronson.com/blog/?p=1799 .

Re: Just A New Fractal Detail In The Big Picture (2015)

#59

Post by qbrass » Sun, Jul 03, 2016, 10:03 PM UTC

sixQuarks wrote: post #10

I don't see the correlation. The author is talking more about systems. The difference with AI is that it will have all of the knowledge within a system and thus be able to make incredible connections between disparate fields of knowledge. On a separate note, I had an interesting thought about AI as I was looking at a cool architectural photo. I would love to design a building, but I don't know a thing about it. It wo…

It's feeding you information that you'll accept as fact and you think both sides of this arrangement are equal?

It's already how certain institutions have ingrained themselves into society, but they don't have the efficiency of being able to instantly impart their knowledge or the holistic view of it's goals and progress that AI could have.

Re: Just A New Fractal Detail In The Big Picture (2015)

#60

Post by at-fates-hands » Sun, Jul 03, 2016, 10:07 PM UTC

campground wrote: post #33

This is similar to a thought I've had for some time now; That artificial intelligence is most likely to emerge - rather than be explicitly designed - from our increasingly complex, interconnected, self-regulating systems and institutions. We will be no more aware of, or able to converse with it, than the bacteria in our guts are aware of us. Also, artificial intelligence is the wrong term. We have artificial intellig…

>> What we are talking about is a new, higher form of real intelligence.

Which if the author is right and our brains have already been shrinking means that within a few hundred years, there won't be any humans left - just "higher intelligence".

I've never understood people's naivety thinking we're always going to be at the top of the evolutionary ladder. At some point, we will be replaced and humans in whatever form they take now will cease to exist in the very near future.