♦ nivek ♦ Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 Computer self-discovers law of physicsWired by Brandon Keim "In just over a day, a powerful computer program accomplished a feat that took physicists centuries to complete: extrapolating the laws of motion from a pendulum's swings. Developed by Cornell researchers, the program deduced the natural laws without a shred of knowledge about physics or geometry. The research is being heralded as a potential breakthrough for science in the Petabyte Age, where computers try to find regularities in massive datasets that are too big and complex for the human mind." (04/02/09) http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/04/newtonai.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outback Jack Posted April 8, 2009 Share Posted April 8, 2009 Initially, the equations generated by the program failed to explain the data, but some failures were slightly less wrong than others. Using a genetic algorithm, the program modified the most promising failures, tested them again, chose the best, and repeated the process until a set of equations evolved to describe the systems. That's so cool! I first read about genetic algorithms in a sci-fi book written by Buzz Aldrin in 1996. It's awesome to see another bit of science fiction becoming science fact. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HelloWorld Posted April 9, 2009 Share Posted April 9, 2009 Initially, the equations generated by the program failed to explain the data, but some failures were slightly less wrong than others. Using a genetic algorithm, the program modified the most promising failures, tested them again, chose the best, and repeated the process until a set of equations evolved to describe the systems. That's so cool! I first read about genetic algorithms in a sci-fi book written by Buzz Aldrin in 1996. It's awesome to see another bit of science fiction becoming science fact. It is actually not that surprising. One of my close friends does research in genetic programming and algorithms. I have astudied them in a couple of courses I have taken. Also, I don't think I would call a genetic program or genetic programming a "scientific fact". That is like calling the code that runs your computer a scientific fact. It doesn't make sense to say that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PandaPirate Posted April 9, 2009 Share Posted April 9, 2009 I have no evidence and I know it sounds "wooish" but I think the universe could possibly be one big computer or hologram. I like Susskind's theory of a holographic universe. Maybe I took too much LSD in high school or maybe I smoked too much weed. Or maybe.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amethyst Posted April 12, 2009 Share Posted April 12, 2009 Could this be possibly the first step in building an Asimov-like AI? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Exclavius Posted April 22, 2009 Share Posted April 22, 2009 Genetic algorithms are about the only way AI could ever be achieved.. I think one extra step must be taken too... It has to essentially be programmed like a virus... so that the programme or code of the algorithm could be self-altered by similar mutations that have evolved us. If in fact consciousness/free will are emergent, then this is the only way... it has to be allowed to emerge from something less... on it's own. Question is.. do we want it? and/or Can we merge ourselves with it, and raise our consciousness a level higher, or will it simply replace us, as we replaced other lower conscious species? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest QuidEstCaritas? Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 Genetic algorithms are about the only way AI could ever be achieved..I think one extra step must be taken too... It has to essentially be programmed like a virus... so that the programme or code of the algorithm could be self-altered by similar mutations that have evolved us. If in fact consciousness/free will are emergent, then this is the only way... it has to be allowed to emerge from something less... on it's own. Question is.. do we want it? and/or Can we merge ourselves with it, and raise our consciousness a level higher, or will it simply replace us, as we replaced other lower conscious species? Or it could merely grow to a certain proficiency and size where it has no natural competition and wipe out the human race. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Exclavius Posted April 23, 2009 Share Posted April 23, 2009 Or it could merely grow to a certain proficiency and size where it has no natural competition and wipe out the human race. if you look at that from the outside, paradigm free, is that a bad thing? From the human's view point, it is. But when we die out, will we not be the old ideal of a god who is an entity, which no longer exists? Dying out because we created a successor, that is more real than ourselves? Would we give up ourselves and what we are, to become god? Even if in becoming god, we ceased to exist? A computer can and will and must be super-rational, something we are not capable, or at least willing to being. A computer that is super-rational, and possesses free will... That thought is ... well, using the old and true meaning of the world .... AWESOME. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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