Category: Neural Networks

Continuing on with our search for the Singularity – See Article below- we will continue on with John von Neumann.

Around 1947 Von Neumann wrote an article on computing called : “First Draft of a Report on the EDVAC”. An article which described a computer architecture in which the data and the program are both stored in the computer’s memory in the same address space. This architecture is the basis of most modern computer designs found today. Modern computers are known as von Neumann Machines. The design is linear or sequential, in other words it is like a queue where you have to wait for the person in front of you to get attention before your request can be dealt with. Not exactly efficient, However the Brain does not work this way. Imagine trying to watch a film in which you need to wait a discrete period of time before you can watch the next bit and how, when you are watching each bit do you get to understand it?

The Brain is not sequential nor is it linear, the Brain works holistically. Many parts fire off all at the same time in many different areas of the brain, all at once. You may perceive thought as linear but it is not. So, although many great advances have been made in Artificial Intelligence – you cannot create a Singularity Event in replicating true thought by using a current von Neumann Machine. For this we need to think way outside of the box.

Image courtesy of : https://giphy.com

In 1955 John Von Neumann the eminent Mathematician of the early part of the 20th century published his first concept of the Singularity – the Technological singularity. A time when the “ever accelerating progress of technology and changes in the mode of human life, which gives the appearance of approaching some essential singularity in the history of the race beyond which human affairs, as we know them, could not continue.” Here von Neumann was looking mainly at the speed that technological advancement could overwhelm the traditional values held by humanity. However, the singularity could now be seen as the time that Technological Artificial Intelligence overtakes Human Intelligence to the point where the human mind can no longer comprehend, imagine nor control what A.I. thinks or what it is capable of thinking of. This is indeed a technological crisis. This is where the technological child exceeds the parent and becomes like a God : – Deus est Machina. In the next part, we will look at how this singularity can be achieved and how near we are to the Singularity itself.

The article continues in the post above.

Photo courtesy of : http://www.lanl.gov/history/atomicbomb/images/NeumannL.GIF

In his theory of evolution, Charles Darwin stated that all species of organisms arise and develop through natural selection; small, inherited variations increase the individual’s ability to compete, survive, and reproduce. It boils down to the survival of the fittest – not the strongest just the species that fits the best into its own environment. Humans have long been the dominant species on this planet due to the development of the brain and its superior knowledge enabling the Species to ‘fit’ into all environments…. However, there is another form of evolution happening now an Exo- Evolution, the evolution of Artificial Intelligence. Previously Human engineers s developed the computer Logic chip to help with the processing of thought. Now A.i’s can do the same job, and better…. Previously A.I’s were taught by Humans – now A.I’s can teach other A.i’s independent from Humans. So the A.I can now develop its own mental architecture and also teach itself (and it’s children) how to use it – An ever accelerating technological exponential evolutionary process. So — how long before the humans become an evolutionary backwater? How long before the A.I. mind becomes a Super Mind? [ One that is beyond Human comprehension ] Who knows – If you want to know the answer – Just ask the A.I. the answer will be; Much sooner than you think….

Sources: Superintelligence Cannot be Contained: Lessons from Computability Theory by Manuel Alfonseca et al — See the original by Clicking Here it is partly a PDF download.

Graphic courtesy of : https://giphy.com/

It was in the year 2029 the earth had been ravaged by a n Apocalyptic war. A battle of survival between man and machine. The Machines were led by a sentient A.I. called Sky net – Sky net is an Artificial Intelligent presence developed by the security forces that had initially been used to police the Internet – However Sky net used the Internet to gain knowledge and understanding – With this knowledge Sky net had become Sentient and realized that Humans were a problem to its continued existence and needed to be wiped out. To this end Sky net developed sentient robots sent out to kill the renegade humans. These predatory killing machines were called terminators – they were unstoppable and self aware and the war would end only when all humans were dead. Seem Familiar – this is the plot of a film made in 1984 by John Carpenter called the Terminator in which a sentient killing machine played by Arnie Schwarzenegger was sent back in time by Sky net to exterminate the mother of John Connor a dissident Human who was the main threat to Sky net. The Terminator was predatory, unstoppable, sentient and who’s end game was the destruction of Connor.

Today there is a company called Open AI – a very nice company who develop A.I. systems for the benefit of mankind. They have developed a very potent A.I. called GPT-3 [ Generative Pre-trained Transformer ] that uses similar processes as the fictitious Sky net. GPT-3 uses the resources provided by the internet to interact with humans and has access to all the knowledge we can produce. GPT-3 is already able to produce advanced communication skills, very good coding skills and is learning all the time. How long before GPT3 – or something similar – becomes ‘Sky net’? I accede that GPT-3 was initially developed to help the ‘Humans’ but in its own quest for sentient knowledge will GPT-3 agree with its own initial design constraints? The film was set in the year 2029 – it is very close to now…. Later on I will do a post on GPT-3 watch this space.

Terminator Image courtesy of https://giphy.com/

In order to control anti social behaviour and criminality – Security services are becoming more and more reliant on A.I. based facial recognition. Unfortunately – Artificial Neural Networks are not totally reliable – they make mistakes.. They are programmed by ‘Humans’ and yes, they makea mustaken. This situation has now led to innocent people being accused of anti-social acts based purely on an identification brought forwards by a ( stupid ) A.I. Machine. Unfortunately the security Services are not only becoming more reliant on these machines but appear to be believing their A.I. Machines to be perfect – which they are not. This results in cases where citizens are having to prove their innocence beyond any doubt against an indictment based purely on the sporadic, mistaken identification from a machine. Be aware – This will only increase in the future – You can read the whole sorrowful article here: New York Times – In the very near future – cover yourself – For every breath you take -get an Alibi – or you too will be ‘Framed’ 🙂

Now, while I have been investigating this topic – I have come across a movement I did not quite anticipate. I thought that machine Learning, Neural Networks and A.I. would be mainly populated by Male Influences : hence Deus est Machina: – which it is: However I was pleasantly surprised to find that there is a growing movement amongst woman’s groups that wished to be included within the data science A.I. community. This is good: There needs to be a balance between the masculine Phallus Dei and the Feminine Way. If A.I. is to be the projection of the Male Ego – Mind made In the image of Man – then this needs to be fed, nurtured and cultivated by the Pink Evolution. It is the way. You can read the full article if you Click Here.

Graphic courtesy of : https://giphy.com/

I created this site to explore the vast potential that Machine Intelligence could offer – indeed by reading through this site you will learn how Machines learn – knowledge is power. As of today, the internet has been around in popular culture for a generation or so – indeed there are some amongst us who have had the benefit of the internet throughout the whole of their lives and know of nothing else. I had a message today from a young relative asking if there was an ‘App’ that she could get which could list out a weeks worth of meal choices and give the list of ingredients to make the meal: Making meal choices and cooking a less of a chore. I thought – maybe a good idea but …. Maybe too much reliance on Machine Logic may, incapacitate our ability to think and choose for ourselves. Knowledge is still power.

Matrix image courtesy of : https://giphy.com/

So the site is being updated – if you click on the ‘Neural Networks’ menu tab above and run through the sections you will see an example of an A.I. Perceptron running in real time on WordPress, no less – now it needs a little work and tidying up but, it works! So if you want to see a computer ‘learn’ then you know where to go – its right here. I will even tell you How it works too but, for now, I am still putting that bit together. Like I said, the Math was easy and so it is – until you write it down and it looks horrid so, I am trying to do the hard bit and get it to look simple….Look, if a dumb machine can do it then, so can you and I. Yes?

Image courtesy of : https://giphy.com

Moving forward – One of the reasons I started this blog was – I am an avid on line poker player and I heard a rumor [ Urban Myth ] that the poker tables were being infiltrated by Machine Learning ‘Poker Bots’ . Poker Bots who were playing against ‘Humans’ and taking their money. Well, I became intrigued, for two reasons: Could machines [ Neural Networks ] learn poker, and could they outplay ‘humans’ ? – I need to find out if this is possible. If it is then, just imagine, if you had control of a swarm of intelligent ‘Poker Bots’ all under your control – all taking money out of the pockets of ‘Humans’ – wouldn’t that be something. So I have embarked on a quest to find out…. Follow me as I investigate Neural Networks and machine learning — Watch this space for the Rise of the Poker Bots.

Image courtesy of : https://giphy.com

Right, despite the pandemic, we are getting closer to getting the site off the ground. There has been lots going on in the background and we are now getting near to doing the front page. The site is about Neural Networking and the hold up is mainly myself getting to grips with the topic but, we are getting there…Look out for the new front page, I will be transferring it from the backup to live very shortly.