10 February 2014

Attempting to Code the Human Brain

Somewhere, in a glass building several miles outside of San Francisco, a computer is imagining what a cow looks like. Its software is visualizing cows of varying sizes and poses, then drawing crude digital renderings, not from a collection of photographs, but rather from the software's ‘imagination’. The technology is the work of Vicarious FPC Inc. that is part of the rapidly expanding world of artificial intelligence. The company is weaving together bits of code inspired by the human brain, aiming to create a machine that can think like humans. Such powerful software is still several years away from being fully developed, if at all, and raises all sorts of ethical questions. 


But the potential applications—such as masterfully translating foreign languages, identifying objects in photos and directing self-driving cars through busy intersections are investing heavily in artificial intelligence. The idea of creating smarter computers based on the brain has been around for decades as scientists have debated the best path to artificial intelligence. The approach has seen a resurgence in recent years thanks to far superior computing processors and advances in computer-learning methodologies. One of the most popular technologies in this area involves software that can train itself to classify objects as varied as animals, syllables and inanimate objects.

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