Technology and Robot Brains

Robot Brains: Circuits and Systems for Conscious MachinesDescription :
          This book considers the engineering aspects of nonnumeric cognitive and potentially conscious machines and should be of interest to anyone who wishes to consider the actual realization of these machines and robots. The principles are presented with the aim of producing dedicated circuits and systems, but obviously everything can be simulated; those who prefer programmed simulations should find it rather easy to implement these principles in the way of computer programs.Artificial intelligence (AI) has brought chess-playing computer programs that can beat grand masters and other ‘intelligent’ programs that can execute given specific tasks.
However, the intelligence of these programs is not that of the machine; instead it is the intelligence of the programmer who has laid down the rules for the execution of the task. At best and with some goodwill these cases of artificial intelligence might be called ‘specific intelligence’ as they work only for their specific and limited application. In contrast, ‘general intelligence’ would be flexible and applicable over a large number of different problems. Unfortunately, artificial general intelligence has been elusive. Machines do not really understand anything, as they do not utilize meanings.
Robots do not fare well in everyday tasks that humans find easy. Artificial intelligence has not been able to create general intelligence and common sense. Present-day robots are definitely not sentient entities. Many researchers have recognized this and see this as a shortcoming that must be remedied if robots are ever to be as versatile as humans. Robots should be conscious. Exactly which features and abilities would distinguish a conscious robot from its nonconscious counterpart? It may well be that no matter how ‘conscious’ a robot might be, some philosophers would still pretend to find one or another successful argument against its consciousness.








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