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]>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 > 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 > > > ------------------------------------------- > agi > Archives: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/303/=now > RSS Feed: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/rss/303/ > Modify Your Subscription: > https://www.listbox.com/member/?&; > Powered by Listbox: http://www.listbox.com > -- Ben Goertzel, PhD CEO, Novamente LLC and Biomind LLC Director of Research, SIAI [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Nothing will ever be attempted if all possible objections must be first overcome " - Dr Samuel Johnson ------------------------------------------- agi Archives: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/303/=now RSS Feed: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/rss/303/ Modify Your Subscription: https://www.listbox.com/member/?member_id=8660244&id_secret=114414975-3c8e69 Powered by Listbox: http://www.listbox.com
