Computer Science Reconsidered

I mentioned in a previous post that I ordered a book entitled Computer Science Reconsidered. Well, I received a book from the right person, but it was the wrong book. Instead, I got the book Beating Depression. I wasn't depressed before, but this annoyance is pushing me closer. :-)

I'm Done...

...with symbolic AI. We've had our spats in the past, along with a general disbelief in its possibilities. But there are just too many questions.

What gives the symbols meaning? How can they relate to each other? How can anything of any practicality occur when the symbols are not grounded? How can there be knowledge, understanding?

There needs to be some sort of context. Period.

For the Future

There is a lot that can be said for the future of AI. Many will say that it will never happen. Some think it will, but not in their lifetime. A smaller amount think it will occur in their lifetime. The smallest group thinks their research will create it in the next 20 - 30 years. Funny how none of these groups can give a definite definition of 'artificial intelligence'.

But that's not quite what I'm here to talk about. While I'm in the second group, I'm more focused on how I can contribute to AI while using it to make a living. This would be a dream job for me. Well, maybe teaching AI classes at a university, but I have a difficult time with research.

So how do I want to 'do' AI as a career? Being a lowly code monkey, this is a key question. A skilled AI programmer (not that there's a concrete definition for that either) can make a lot of money. I'd like to work freelance, from home. This way, I could live anywhere in the country and simply teleconference to all of my meetings.

So how do I get this this point? Not by being your average programmer, seeking promotion after promotion. I agree that I need the training to see how the real world works for programmers, as well as generate some startup capital, but only for the next several years.

One area that I know I'm deficient in is mathematics. Math was one of my strong suits back in grade school, but not so much when I got to college. This needs to be fixed. I'm still trying to figure out the best method.

Another thing to consider is something mentioned in Computer Science Reconsidered by Karl M. Fant. The author claims that mathematics is not the best thing to base computer science on; biology is. I ordered this book and look forward to reading it in the next few weeks.

I'll keep you posted of any further developments.

Human Context

Yes, I'm back. I'm back to thinking about AI, and how I can make that a focus as a freelance programmer. If my theories work out, that would make me stand out as one of the top AI specialists in the industry. If it doesn't work, then... Well, I'll just have to make it work.

Now, though, I would like to talk about context. I've spoken of this before, but I just not thought about how a human gets context. I've mentioned that context is perhaps the biggest hurdle for AI. This puts me at odds against the symbolic AI researchers who think that the symbols don't need outside meaning. Well, tough for them.

But how does a human understand the context? How do we give meaning to words, phrases, images? It has to come from previous experience. But what about in the beginning, when we don't have any previous experiences? Then it has to come from our genetic predisposition to perceive things the way we do. There is no other place for it to come from.

So what does this mean for AI? I'm not sure, yet. This requires a lot more thought. It also has many implications for psychology as well.

Simple Questions, Complex Answers

With all this talk about patterns, we have some questions that must be answered.

• What are the patterns of?
• How do the patterns interact?
• How are the patterns interpreted?
• How is input turned into patterns?
• How are patterns turned into output?
• How is context involved?
• How are patterns represented?

In regards to the first question, patterns can, of course, be made of other patterns. But what are the basic things that patterns are made of? Once we answer this, the other questions should be a bit easier.

My Final AI

When I see the future of AI, I don't see a lot of robots running around. I don't see two AIs arguing over a bit of logic. What I see if one mostly visible source central AI (similar to bad sci-fi), and it handles requests from users. In other words, if would be very much distributed.

Here's what I now need to clarify: why visible source, why mostly visible source, why requests, and why distributed?

Well, I've read enough of both good and bad sci-fi to be a bit wary about what I don't understand. Once my future AI become active, it will quickly become something I no longer understand or control. This worry is making me take precautions before I write even one line of code.

Why visible source? I want people to be able to see how the AI works, in order to head off worries that either I or someone else will use the AI to take over the world. I don't have the evil laugh, so I'm already disqualified. Plus I wouldn't want all the hassle of running an entire planet, even if I do feel that I have some good ideas.

Why mostly visible source? I want some of the most important bits of code hidden so that it cannot be replicated without ethical guidelines (evil twin syndrome). These are the guidelines that I will personally teach my AI, like I will teach any children I raise.

Why requests? I want my AI not to have control over something that it should not be allowed to control. If you have seen War Games, then you know what I am talking about. If a user request aid with something, like directions from point A to point B, explaining a lesson in calculus, or getting help for a car accident, then the AI should help to the best of its ability.

Why distributed? If something happens, and the AI breaks its ethical code, it should not be allowed to serve any other requests until the dilemma is resolved by both the AI and a committee of humans. The distributed portions of the AI, the local computers communicating with the AI, would have all the information locally to finish assisting without further communication with the AI. This is just one more layer of protection.

So I have ideas. Now I just need the experience to bring them to light.

Addemdum to Layers

I should talk a bit more about how a layer would be organized. I mentioned how it must not be confused with an expert system. I've also talked about how I see pattern theory being very important.

Well, I see any and every layer being patterns of behavior. The novice layer handles very basic learning patterns, pattern differentiation, and so on. The expert layers would handle more domain specific actions through more complex patterns of behavior.