Fitting Analogy - Brain is the Computer & the Mind the Computer Software

Comparing a brain to a computer and the mind to computers software is not a fitting analogy, consider the situation where someone loses his mind or became insane will his brain still function? The answer is yes; the brain still controls his heart, lungs and his entire physical movement. On the contrary the computer without software is a dummy device, and useless. Well-implemented software and additional devices like sensors made us think that the computer is intelligent, however it only executes the program installed. The computer does not think, it executes and follows orders, unlike the brain, which thinks, learns controls and does lots of other things.

As researchers aim is to create intelligent machines, they developed theories to help them find the best way to achieve that, one of these is the bottom up, which is believed to be “the best way to achieve artificial intelligence is to build electronic replicas of the human brain's complex network of neurons” (Oracle, 1996).  What we don’t know about how human brain thinks is way more than what we know. “A major constraint that must never be forgotten is that the brain is an associative processor that may be modeled with a particular logic structure” (Burger 2009). An artificial brain cannot line with human’s brain if it follows von Neumann’s machine, the machine to be used to achieve the goal should understand consciousness and subconscious. For that the new architecture of artificial neural network might be the solution. In ANN consciousness neurons can be demonstrated as “triggered devices that remains activated for up to several seconds” (Burger 2010), and subconscious can be modeled “as an efficient programmable ROM” (Burger 2010). By this approach researchers believe that we can model the human’s brain, with billions of neurons, do I believe that this will develop the intelligence? It might, but this doesn’t only depend on this huge number of neuron-like circuits. Excitation of neurons alone will not develop consciousness.

To understand this we have to understand the brain’s function, the brain’s neural circuit, we have to understand the human’s brain algorithm, then we might be able to imitate the human brain function, human brain thinking and emotions. Yuste,R in 2008 said “Experimentalists are entering a territory without a map and without basic theoretical tools and even a vocabulary with which to even be able to ask the right questions” (Yuste,R. 2008)

In conclusion, a machine will always be a machine and will always behave like one; I don’t believe that the barrier between a living creature’s mind and a machine build by human will be inline. As well I believe more and more researches in AI will help development in building robots, and more intelligent machines but not intelligent enough to be compared to a human’s mind or any other living animal.

Mohannad

References:

Burger, J. (2009)a, ‘Human Memory Modeled with Standard Analog and Digital Circuits: Inspiration for Man-made Computers’ [Online], Available from: http://ebookee.org/Human-Memory-Modeled-with-Standard-Analog-and-Digital-Circuits-Inspiration-for-Man-made-Computers-repost-_495113.html (Accessed 19 February 2011)

Burger,J (2010)b, ‘Artificial Brain Based on Credible Neural Circuits in a Human Brain’ [Online], Available from: http://arxiv.org/pdf/1008.5161v3 (Accessed 19 February 2011)

Oracle, (1996), ‘Methods used to create intelligence, The Approches’ [Online], Available from: http://library.thinkquest.org/2705/approaches.html (Accessed 19 February 2011)

Sander, C., (2011)a, ‘Brain Versus Computer’ [Online], Available from: http://www.lucidpages.com/branco.html (Accessed 19 February 2011)

Sander, C., (2011)b, ‘Physiology Of Consciousness‘[Online], Available from: http://www.lucidpages.com/consci.html (Accessed 19 February 2011)

Yuste,R., (2008), ‘Circuit neuroscience: the road ahead’ Frontiers in Neuroscience, July 2008, Volume 2, Issue 1, Pages 6-9 [Online], Available from: http://www.columbia.edu/cu/biology/faculty/yuste/Publications/circuit%20neuroscience%20the%20road%20ahead.pdf (Accessed 19 February 2011)