[MD] Quantum computing

[ian glendinning]

Ham,

You said
"Artificial Intelligence is very much a part of the New Age movement,
for all its "mumbo jumbo", and Kurzwell is structuring it around
pseudo-scientific concepts, such as the premise that intellect equates
to recorded knowledge and that there is no significant difference
between AI and human cognizance."

Ham you need to separate issues, if you think you are entitled to a view on AI.

Anyone who claims what AI "is" or "will" be in x years time is
engaging in hype, rhetoric for some motive or other.

Intelligence is intelligence, if the artifical stuff doesn look very
intelligent compared to humans, it isn't.

Clearly there is no argument to be had with someone who sees
"intelligence" (or consciousness) as some indivisible fundament (where
most of us here see quality) but for people who see inteligence as
part of life's evolutionary tapestry, there is no difference between
the possibilities of intelligence / consciousness evolved on a pile of
chips as there is to one evolved on a pile of synaptic meat. It's an
amazing trick either way. (Pirsig's MoQ also tell's us we are unlike
to see intelligence evolve before life does, artificial or
"traditional" life.)

The fact that no one has seen the former evolve yet, doesn't make that
mumbo jumbo, just something you (by your own axiomatic definition)
cannot agree with, since for you it pre-exists any concept of
evolution. (Which makes me wonder by I bothered explaining ?)

Most stuff written about AI is hype, no doubt, but there is a
difference between most and discounting the idea out of hand.

Ian