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The Elements of Statistical Learning Describes important statistical ideas in machine learning, data mining, and bioinformatics. Covers a broad range, from prediction to unsupervised learning, including classification trees and neural networks. More information at Amazon US UK |

# Which Technique Will Spawn Self-awareness?

Neural Networks (92)
39%
Self-adapting Programs (41)
17%
Meta-Learning (8)
3%
Genetic Programming (23)
9%
Other Biological Solution (16)
6%
Rule Base System (8)
3%
Something Else... (43)
18%

Which Technique Will Spawn Self-awareness?
• Which Technique Will Spawn Self-awareness? Out of the options listed, which do you believe will lead to a self-aware AI first? Appologies in the length of the last poll! Time for ideas was hard to come by... | Alex J. Champandard 933 posts. Thursday 23 January, 17:41 Reply
• Self Awareness ?? What about some sort of definition of self-awareness. And please don't say we all know what self-awareness is because in my experience everybody's intuition on this is likely to be different in detail at least, and quite probably in substance too. What would be really useful would be an operational test that anyone could apply to a supposed self-aware entity to verify its self-awareness. Sincerely GL7 If you don't change direction you'll get where you're headed !! | David George Elsdon 3 posts. Sunday 02 February, 16:41 Reply
• It's In The Name Self-awareness is the process of being aware of one's own state as part of a world, and the consequences of one's own actions on this world. For an animal, these are mostly physical states, physical actions, and physical consequences. For computers, virtual actions and consequences on how quickly windows crashes. It's hard to test for self awareness without some preliminary form of intelligence, but even simple reactive behaviours are good enough. For a cat, you grab hold of its tail, and it will most likely turn around; it's aware of it's state. If it pushes a small ball around the living room, it will follow it; it's partly aware of the consequences of its touching the ball (it also believes the thing is alive, but it's good enough ;) For computers, I'll have to think about a test, but you get the idea! | Alex J. Champandard 933 posts. Monday 03 February, 02:59 Reply
• Re: It's In The Name > Self-awareness is the process of being aware of one's own state > as part of a world, and the consequences of one's own actions > on this world. I don't find this definition at all useful. It is circular. It says little more than "Self-awareness is the process of being aware of self". > ... but even simple reactive behaviours are good enough. Do you mean that "simple reactive behaviours" are good enough to demonstrate self-awareness. In this case a chess playing program or a robot which looks for a socket to plug itself into when its battery is low already exhibit self-awareness. > For computers, I'll have to think about a test, but you get the idea! Getting the idea is not the point !! We all have ideas about self-awareness. However, relying on vague definitions, and appealing to intuition and introspection of other people is not very useful. Historically, intuition and introspection have proved notoriously unreliable ways of getting at the truth. Furthermore, if you want people to say how they expect self-awareness to be achieved it seems to me to be only reasonable that a way of testing any candidate computer program be provided. Sincerely GL7 | David George Elsdon 3 posts. Monday 03 February, 14:13 Reply
• Intuition The definition may not be complete, but it is certainly not circular! It's mearly a decomposition. To define the "self," read up Descartes, Heideger or even Goedel (think objects, entities, creatures). Awareness is in the sensing of this object, and have an internal representation of it (I seem to remember St Exupery writing about this). Your example is indeed primitive self awareness, but human tailored. How can AI can develop self awareness itself? If "we all have ideas about self awareness" then stop trying to be so pedantic and share them with us. This poll is a good excuse to do so. A self-aware OS may repair itself, organise data on disk and in memory to optimally assist the user, decide when is convenient/possible to run background tasks... (you'll have a field day picking holes in that example ;) Alex | Alex J. Champandard 933 posts. Monday 03 February, 15:42 Reply