Second Mirror

In Loop, you shy away from speculating about the souls or the intelligence of computers, yet you’ve been working in AI for 30 years.

I avoid speculating about futuristic sci-fi AI scenarios, because I don’t think they respect the complexity of what we are thanks to evolution.

But isn’t your research all about trying to bring about such scenarios?

Thirty years ago, I didn’t distinguish between modeling the human mind and making smarter machines. After I realized this crucial difference, I focused exclusively on using computer models to try to understand the human mind. I no longer think of myself as an AI researcher but as a cognitive scientist.

One of the attractions of your writing is the wordplay, a fascination with the kind of recursions that appeal to programmers and nerds.

It is ironic because my whole life I have felt uncomfortable with the nerd culture that centers on computers. I always hope my writings will resonate with people who love literature, art, and music. But instead, a large fraction of my audience seems to be those who are fascinated by technology and who assume that I am, too.

15.03: Me, My Soul and I

Т.е. тренд, о котором так долго говорят те, кто знает, вылезает наружу изо всех дыр и абсолютно чудесен — фронтир окончательно перемещается с кибернетических тем в когнитивно-психологическо-социальную сферу.