Path: utzoo!utgpu!attcan!uunet!lll-winken!lll-tis!helios.ee.lbl.gov!pasteur!ucbvax!ucsd!nprdc!huntley
From: huntley@nprdc.arpa (David Huntley)
Newsgroups: comp.ai
Subject: a small subset of AI
Message-ID: <1185@arctic.nprdc.arpa>
Date: 16 Dec 88 01:30:45 GMT
Sender: news@nprdc.arpa
Reply-To: huntley@nprdc.arpa (David Huntley)
Organization: Navy Personnel R&D Center, San Diego
Lines: 21

Comp.ai suggests to me something very specific:  AI (as we understand
the engineering discipline) on computers.  AI, as an engineering discipline,
is in my mind an indisputably useful one.  AI research has resulted in formal
languages better suited to certain kinds of practical problems.  Neural
networks, a software/hardware creation, extends the applications to which
computers can be put.  Process control, inventory management, forecasting,
industrial robots are all improved by AI techniques.  Also, work is being done
on computer models of the brain in the general area of physiology.  If a
computer model of the brain sufficiently complex to allow a mapping between
"damage" and degraded performance can be developed, so much the better.
With computers that already perform the written-to-spoken conversion, a tool
for the study of aphasia seems to be at hand.

Can anyone tell me how AI on computers entails consideration of free-will,
self-awareness, consciousness, subconsciousness, unconsciousness or, in
short, non-biological human replication?

I understand that one can fantasize, create and share in science fiction.
But why not do that in genetic.engineering.slave.colony ?

David
huntley@nprdc.arpa    "These two cents belong exclusively to me."