Artificial brain '10 years away'

Cosimo · 22 Jul 2009 at 21:36

Burnsy2023 said:
Think about what we knew about the human brain in 1909, and what we know now

Zilch.

Cosimo · 22 Jul 2009 at 21:37

gillywibble said:
I knew the same at 19.09 as I know now at 21.35.

I knew that too.

Burnsy2023 · 22 Jul 2009 at 21:40

simulatorman said:
Zilch.

We know a fair bit. I'm not saying that we know everything, far from it, but to say we know zilch is silly.

Skeptic · 22 Jul 2009 at 21:40

Burnsy2023 said:
Think about what we knew about the human brain in 1909, and what we know now

Yes, granted. We might know more, but I don't think we're any closer to understanding it. Although advances have been made, when one question is answered, about 20 more are raised. I can't think, off the top of my head, of more than 5 certainties about the brain. Language, cognition, theory of mind, motor skills, disorders (dyslexia/praxia/graphia/calculia/autism/ADHD) perception, consciousness, awareness, and about a trillion more things are still unknown. Maybe a thousand years was a bit over the top, but i think one hundred is way too low.

Glaucus · 22 Jul 2009 at 21:44

It's no as if we know nothing about those things, we know a fair bit about the chemicals and connections.
Think how far we have come in the last twenty years. The more advance technology becomes the faster it evolves. I would love to see what we have in a hundred years. I don't think anyone could imagine what it will be like in 2109.

Cosimo · 22 Jul 2009 at 21:45

Burnsy2023 said:
We know a fair bit. I'm not saying that we know everything, far from it, but to say we know zilch is silly.

Silly but not far from the truth, our of the human brain is probably on par with our knowledge of the solar system, we have a very long way to go.

Red Porsche · 22 Jul 2009 at 21:47

Seeing as its one of the most complex things going and it isnt even fully understood yet then i doubt it.

me227 · 22 Jul 2009 at 21:50

Apparently I was meant to have a Nuclear powered car and free electricity from the 90s onwards! I'll believe it when I see it.

GreatAuk · 22 Jul 2009 at 21:51

hmm, I think a fangled human brain - 15 years at least.
working one? - 30 years at least
of course requiring ££££££££££££££££££'s to complete.

Skeptic · 22 Jul 2009 at 21:54

First step is to crack whether it's a modular or holistic mechanism. It's probably the most fundamental unknown, and we're nowhere near understanding it.

BigglesPiP · 22 Jul 2009 at 21:55

Tefal said:
we where supposed to have ****ing flying cars by now

Cosimo · 22 Jul 2009 at 22:07

BigglesPiP said:
We have a very, very long way to go.

aardvark · 22 Jul 2009 at 22:11

simulatorman said:
Silly but not far from the truth, our of the human brain is probably on par with our knowledge of the solar system, we have a very long way to go.

tell me about it - it may appear from the outside that scientists know a lot about how the human body works but i can assure you from being a chemist who has to work with biochemists - we know bugger all about it really - we haven't even scratched the surface.

TheCenturion · 22 Jul 2009 at 22:20

D D Danneh said:
10 years in the media means 100 years. Remember the hadron collider? "It'll be up in 2 months". 20 months later and here we are...

That thing's been going for 20+ years

It's still not served its purpose yet :eek:

vincent1989 · 22 Jul 2009 at 22:23

Burnsy2023 said:
We know a fair bit. I'm not saying that we know everything, far from it, but to say we know zilch is silly.

and to say we know a whole lot more than zilch is equally silly, we can see the brain working, but we're still yonks away from beginning to understand exactly how it works.

markweatherill · 22 Jul 2009 at 22:29

An artificial brain is going to be pretty useless without a mind to inhabit it.
Perhaps they'll switch it on in the hope that it'll just, like, become self-aware or something.

Vonhelmet · 22 Jul 2009 at 22:29

I doubt we will even see particularly impressive AI in my lifetime.

Glaucus · 22 Jul 2009 at 22:31

markweatherill said:
An artificial brain is going to be pretty useless without a mind to inhabit it.
Perhaps they'll switch it on in the hope that it'll just, like, become self-aware or something.

if we ever create a simulation of a human brain. I don't see why that would not happen. Self awareness is just synapses firing

Skeptic · 22 Jul 2009 at 22:36

AcidHell2 said:
if we ever create a simulation of a human brain. I don't see why that would not happen. Self awareness is just synapses firing

It is?

Glaucus · 22 Jul 2009 at 22:37

fus said:
It is?

well we don't know.
But I don't believe in any type of soul. And that we are no more than the make up of our brain.