Mind Matters Natural and Artificial Intelligence News and Analysis

ArchiveArticles

ai-analysis-artificial-intelligence-automation-big-data-brain-business-cg-cloud-computing-communication-computer-graphics-concept-creative-cyber-deep-learning-digital-transformation-ed-stockpack-adobe-stock
ai, analysis, artificial intelligence, automation, big data, brain, business, cg, cloud computing, communication, computer graphics, concept, creative, cyber, deep learning, digital transformation, ed
Type
post
Author
News
Date
July 11, 2023
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence
Tagged
, , , , , , , , ,

Lemoine and Marks: A Friendly Discussion on AI’s Capacities

Marks and Lemoine disagree on whether AI can be sentient
News
July 11, 2023
2
Artificial Intelligence

Today’s featured video from the 2022 COSM conference features a distinguished panel of artificial intelligence (AI) experts, include Blake Lemoine and Robert J. Marks. They debate the meaning of artificial intelligence, what the future holds for its application (both positive and negative), and how far AI can be taken in terms of mimicking and even exceeding human capabilities. Lemoine is famous for his claims on AI’s “sentience” and his work at Google on the Large Language Model system “LaMDA.” Marks, on the other hand, appreciates Lemoine’s view but strongly maintains that creativity is a uniquely human capacity, and that machines will never attain consciousness. For more on Marks’s views, consider purchasing his 2022 book Non-Computable You: What You Do That Read More ›

european-telecommunication-network-connected-over-europe-france-germany-uk-italy-concept-about-internet-and-global-communication-technology-for-finance-blockchain-or-iot-elements-from-nasa-stockpack-adobe-stock
European telecommunication network connected over Europe, France, Germany, UK, Italy, concept about internet and global communication technology for finance, blockchain or IoT, elements from NASA
Type
post
Author
News
Date
July 10, 2023
Categorized
Cryptocurrency
Tagged
, , , , , , , , ,

Can Crypto Reverse the Tech Decline?

Listen to a 2019 COSM panel on crypto and the blockchain
News
July 10, 2023
1
Cryptocurrency

For today’s featured COSM video, enjoy this panel from the 2019 conference on cryptocurrencies, the blockchain, and its potential for the tech world. The panel explores the future of cryptocurrency/blockchain technologies, and considers the implications for global money, global security, and internet architecture. We’ve been sharing a number of lectures from past COSM conferences. This video is just one of many you can find at the Bradley Center’s YouTube page. There you’ll find several lectures, interviews, and panels dealing with issues that range from economics, Big Tech, and artificial intelligence. Notable speakers include 2022 Kyoto Prize winner Carver Mead, venture capitalist Peter Thiel, and George Gilder, co-founder of Discovery Institute and author of Life After Capitalism: The Meaning of Wealth, the Future of the Economy, and Read More ›

tribe-of-prehistoric-hunter-gatherers-wearing-animal-skins-stand-around-bonfire-outside-of-cave-at-night-portrait-of-neanderthal-homo-sapiens-family-doing-pagan-religion-ritual-near-fire-stockpack-adobe-stock
Tribe of Prehistoric Hunter-Gatherers Wearing Animal Skins Stand Around Bonfire Outside of Cave at Night. Portrait of Neanderthal / Homo Sapiens Family Doing Pagan Religion Ritual Near Fire
Type
post
Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
July 10, 2023
Categorized
Paleontology, Philosophy of Mind
Tagged
, ,

Our Ancestors Are Constantly Evolving, Just to Keep Up!

Negative biases about our forebears have long been part of science, education, and popular culture. Why?
Denyse O'Leary
July 10, 2023
4
Paleontology, Philosophy of Mind

Recently, archeologists came up with an interesting find from 30,000 years ago in what is now Moravia, part of the Czech Republic: Ravens lived among humans. over 30,000 years ago, during the Pavlovian culture, ravens helped themselves to people’s scraps and picked over mammoth carcasses left behind by human hunters. This took place in the region known today as Moravia, in the Czech Republic. Ravens live in human settlements today, of course, with one notable difference: The archeologists from the University of Tübingen and the Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution noted that “The large number of raven bones found at the sites suggests that the birds, in turn, were a supplementary source of food, and may have become important in Read More ›

fire-infinity-stockpack-adobe-stock
fire infinity
Type
post
Author
Jonathan Bartlett
Date
July 10, 2023
Categorized
Mathematics
Tagged
, , , , , ,

Of Infinity and Beyond

What are the problems and solutions with infinity in mathematics?
Jonathan Bartlett
July 10, 2023
6
Mathematics

The concept of infinity has plagued a great many proofs, both formal and informal. I think that there are two foundational problems at play in most people’s thinking about infinity that causes issues. The first problem people have with infinity is that they treat it as if it were a single value. Because infinity is bigger than all possible natural numbers, people assume that it is bigger than any number, and therefore there is nothing beyond infinity. Therefore, people have the concept that if I have two infinities, then I still have the same number.  They believe that 2 * infinity = infinity. However, using that logic can quickly lead to contradictions. This problem is exacerbated by much mathematical notation. People often will Read More ›

close-up-of-dandelion-on-the-blue-background-stockpack-adobe-stock
close up of dandelion on the blue background
Type
post
Author
Peter Biles
Date
July 9, 2023
Categorized
Arts & Culture
Tagged
, , , , , , , ,

Cormac McCarthy’s Love for Science and Mathematics

His interest in science and mathematics were not extraneous hobbies but performed a strong role in the fiction he wrote
Peter Biles
July 9, 2023
2
Arts & Culture

The late novelist Cormac McCarthy passed away on June 13th in Santa Fe, leaving a legacy of fictional works grappling with fate, masculine alienation, and the possibility of a transcendent reality. McCarthy’s two last books, The Passenger and Stella Maris, which are intended to be read together, are about a brother and sister who are both brilliant mathematicians, and whose father helped craft the atomic bomb with the Manhattan Project. McCarthy’s work is haunted both by a bleak fatalism and glimpses of an enduring reality beyond the merely physical. His interest in science and mathematics were not extraneous hobbies; they performed a strong role in the fiction he wrote. Nick Romeo writes at Scientific American, Science is also a source Read More ›

3d-rendering-of-curved-graphene-surface-on-black-background-stockpack-adobe-stock
3D rendering of curved graphene surface on black background
Type
post
Author
News
Date
July 9, 2023
Categorized
Technology
Tagged
, , , , , ,

James Tour on Converting Waste to Graphene

Waste products can be converted to graphene, an extremely valuable material with a host of useful applications.
News
July 9, 2023
1
Technology

For today’s featured video, watch Dr. James Tour, Professor of Chemistry at Rice University, give a riveting tour of how waste products can be converted to graphene, an extremely valuable material with a host of useful applications—from medical applications to new strong and lightweight materials to an energy source for zero CO2 emissions. Dr. Tour is a renowned synthetic chemist who is also known for his research on the origin of life. Watch his lecture below: We’ve been sharing a number of lectures from past COSM conferences. This video is just one of many you can find at the Bradley Center’s YouTube page. There you’ll find several lectures, interviews, and panels dealing with issues that range from economics, Big Tech, and Read More ›

twin-african-girls-are-interested-and-playing-kalimba-or-thumb-piano-acoustic-music-instrument-from-africa-twins-little-african-girls-with-her-braided-hair-african-hair-style-stockpack-adobe-stock
Twin African girls are interested and playing Kalimba or Thumb Piano acoustic music instrument from Africa, twins little African girls with her braided hair, African hair style
Type
post
Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
July 8, 2023
Categorized
Psychology
Tagged
, , , , , , , ,

That “Mirror Image” Myth About Identical Twins… What Happened?

Researcher of identical twins hoped to prove that Genes Rule! But there were ethics slippages along the way
Denyse O'Leary
July 8, 2023
6
Psychology

For some decades, we heard claims from studies of identical twins (formed when one fertilized egg splits) that everything from exam results to homosexuality might hinge on genetics. Therefore, any similarity in later choices or behavior might be due to genetic factors (read “predetermined” or “inevitable” here). How has that assumption held up, especially in the age of genome mapping? Identical twins comprise roughly 1 in every 250 births. Studies of twins who were separated at birth, have been especially prized because the twins were assumed to grow up in different environments. Thus any significant similarities pointed to genetic influences. Several problems emerged though. For one thing, what about the assumption that separation at birth means that twins experience different Read More ›

blue-glowing-magical-quantum-in-space-stockpack-adobe-stock
Blue glowing magical quantum in space
Type
post
Author
Peter Biles
Date
July 8, 2023
Categorized
Philosophy, Science
Tagged
, , , , , , , , , ,

Can the Quantum Realm Explain Reality?

If we can uncover the smallest quantum particles in nature, will we have uncovered the fundamental secrets of reality?
Peter Biles
July 8, 2023
3
Philosophy, Science

If we can uncover the smallest quantum particles in nature, will we have uncovered the fundamental secrets of reality? A longstanding philosophical tradition in the sciences claims “yes.” Uncovering the mystery of the world lies in the ability to interrogate the smallest of the small. But is that the right way to approach it? What special status does the tiny have over the large? A paper at IAI News by London philosopher Peter West argues that reality can’t in fact be elucidated simply by observing quantum mechanics. He talks in some length about the 17th century text Micrographia by Robert Hooke, which features various images of insects and other organisms under the microscope. West notes that Hooke set the stage, Read More ›

summer-storm-monument-valley-navajo-nation-utah-usa-stockpack-adobe-stock
Summer Storm, Monument Valley, Navajo Nation, Utah, USA
Type
post
Author
Gary Varner
Date
July 8, 2023
Categorized
Arts & Culture
Tagged
, , , , , , , , ,

Westworld: Episode 4 Review

If nothing matters, then why are we doing this?
Gary Varner
July 8, 2023
7
Arts & Culture

Episode three spent a great deal of time simply building the characters and world but had one good scene that explored some interesting ideas about consciousness. Episode Four has a lot more action and much less depth. It does; however, feed us some nihilistic nonsense along the way, and I couldn’t help but wonder why. In the first scene, we return to a glass room where Bernard is once again talking to Dolores. She expresses concern about her world, and this seems to be the first time Bernard has heard her communicating thoughts that are somewhat independent of her programming. So, he gives her a wooden toy he calls The Maze and tells her that if she can find the Read More ›

sports-concept-of-fighting-without-rules-two-athlete-wrestlers-in-the-arena-of-the-octagonal-scene-mood-fights-without-boxing-rules-mma-alternative-look-at-sporting-battles-through-the-metal-cage-stockpack-adobe-stock
Sports concept of fighting without rules. Two athlete wrestlers in the arena of the octagonal scene. Mood fights without boxing rules MMA. Alternative look at sporting battles through the metal cage
Type
post
Author
News
Date
July 7, 2023
Categorized
Social Media
Tagged
, , , , , , , ,

Really, a Cage Match?

Rumor has it that Twitter CEO Elon Musk and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg are going to fight each other (physically, not figuratively) in a cage match.
News
July 7, 2023
2
Social Media

Rumor has it that Twitter CEO Elon Musk and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg are going to fight each other (physically, not figuratively) in a cage match. Yes, you heard that right. After an online squabble, the two are purportedly interested in an actual fight. Today, the news broke that Musk has agreed to train with UFC legend Georges St-Pierre. St-Pierre offered his services to Musk in a tweet, to which Musk replied, “Okay, let’s do it.” No one really knows if this fight will actually happen, but it could. It’s ludicrous that men of such stature should be entertaining the notion of a cage match. Nonetheless, Zuckerberg is apparently trained in martial arts, and seemed open to the idea given Read More ›

titanic-at-belfast-date-1912-stockpack-adobe-stock
Titanic at Belfast. Date: 1912
Type
post
Author
Russ White
Date
July 7, 2023
Categorized
Technology
Tagged
, , , , , , , , , , ,

The Titan and the Titanic: Bookends of Progressivism

Nature, despite all our technological innovations, remains extremely powerful
Russ White
July 7, 2023
4
Technology

I read, with great sadness, of the wreck of the Titan. There were, undoubtedly, technical reasons why this submersible, carrying five human souls, broke up, lying now in the same graveyard as the Titanic. We pray that the impacted families might find peace in this moment—and in the coming times when lawsuits are filed, and horrible things are spoken about their loved ones. There is a great lesson to learn from this disaster—not the obvious lessons about the all-to-human failings of individual engineers or managers. The lesson we take from this should be broader. We should learn a lesson about man’s confidence in his own abilities, in our ability to overcome nature, and in a certain kind of progress. The Read More ›

birds-symbol-carry-on-dialog-with-each-other-plasticine-illustration-stockpack-adobe-stock
Birds symbol carry on dialog with each other. Plasticine illustration.
Type
post
Author
Peter Biles
Date
July 6, 2023
Categorized
Censorship, Social Media
Tagged
, , , , , , , , , , ,

Twitter’s Copycat Rival is Coming to You via Meta. Will It Survive?

Meta will again co-opt the ideas of its competitors and hope for the best
Peter Biles
July 6, 2023
3
Censorship, Social Media

Meta is reportedly trying to compete with Twitter by introducing a similar app called Threads. The app will be connected to Instagram and will allow a cross-over of followers, etc. Since Elon Musk’s acquisition of Twitter, some have complained about loosened constraints regarding speech and expression. A number of formerly suspended accounts, such as those belonging to psychologist Jordan Peterson, the Christian satire site The Babylon Bee, and a number of other (mostly conservative) voices, were reestablished following Musk’s “takeover.” Now Meta is trying to capitalize. If they’re going to launch Threads, now is probably the best time to do it. Apart from the overarching complaints against Twitter and Musk, the platform is now limiting how many tweets a user Read More ›

silhouette-of-a-man-with-thoughts-in-the-form-of-physico-mathematical-formulas-the-concept-of-scientific-and-education-topics-stockpack-adobe-stock
Silhouette of a man, with thoughts in the form of physico-mathematical formulas. The concept of scientific and education topics.
Type
post
Author
Robert J. Marks
Date
July 6, 2023
Categorized
Mathematics
Tagged
, , , , , , ,

Is Mathematics Discovered or Invented?

Some think math is invented. Evidence, though, points towards discovery.
Robert J. Marks
July 6, 2023
5
Mathematics

Some think math is invented. (See the article by Peter Biles.) Evidence, though, points towards discovery. Simultaneous mathematical discovery supports this viewpoint. Many mathematical breakthroughs are sometimes independently reported by two or more mathematicians at roughly the same time. The most famous is the simultaneous discovery of calculus by Isaac Newton and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz. Newton was secretive about his discovery and shared his results with only a few members of the Royal Society. When Leibnitz published his discovery of the calculus, Newton charged him with plagiarism. Today, historians agree that the discoveries were independent of each other. Here are some other lesser-known examples of simultaneous discovery. The Papoulis-Gerchberg Algorithm (PGA).  The PGA is an ingenious method for recovering lost Read More ›

diverse-friends-in-movie-theater-stockpack-adobe-stock
Diverse friends in movie theater.
Type
post
Author
News
Date
July 6, 2023
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture
Tagged
, , , , , , , , ,

Maybe Hollywood Had it Coming?

When TV production becomes this mechanical and impersonal, why shouldn't studios opt for AI?
News
July 6, 2023
2
Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture

The writers’ strike in Hollywood continues. In May, the Writers Guild of America started protesting low wages and the potential threat of artificially generated scripts. Large Language Models (LLMs) have only improved in generating text, raising concerns among writers. However, according to an insightful article from Auguste Meyrat of the Acton Institute, Hollywood has been developing a culture that welcomes AI-generated content with its tendency to pressure writers to fit a formulaic narrative structure instead of encouraging them to pursue real creativity and collaboration. Meyrat writes, All this virtually guarantees the use of AI-generated screenplays. After all, if producing a movie is now effectively the same as producing a widget on an assembly line, the human element can be dispensed Read More ›

nft-gallery-hologram-cryptoart-and-metaverse-stockpack-adobe-stock
NFT gallery hologram, cryptoart and metaverse
Type
post
Author
News
Date
July 5, 2023
Categorized
Cryptocurrency
Tagged
, , , , , ,

NFTS: The Reinvention of Property?

What makes NFTs valuable? And what does it mean to own them?
News
July 5, 2023
1
Cryptocurrency

Today we feature a video from the 2021 COSM Conference on blockchain, crypto, and non-fungible tokens featuring Jules Urbach and William Dembski. In the case of non-fungible tokens (NFTs) on the Ethereum blockchain, actual ownership with legal standing is never in fact transferred for the underlying digital file. What makes NFTs valuable? And what does it mean to own them? We’ve been sharing a number of lectures from past COSM conferences. This video is just one of many you can find at the Bradley Center’s YouTube page. There you’ll find several lectures, interviews, and panels dealing with issues that range from economics, Big Tech, and artificial intelligence. Notable speakers include 2022 Kyoto Prize winner Carver Mead, venture capitalist Peter Thiel, and George Gilder, co-founder of Read More ›

frankenstein-stockpack-adobe-stock
Frankenstein
Type
post
Author
News
Date
July 5, 2023
Categorized
Arts & Culture
Tagged
, , , , , , , , ,

The Modern-Day “Frankenstein” Is Coming

"Poor Things," starring Emma Stone, is about a girl brought back to life. Ring a bell?
News
July 5, 2023
1
Arts & Culture

The movie Poor Things, starring Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe, and Mark Ruffalo, is the story of an “unorthodox” scientist who brings a girl, Bella Baxter (Stone), back to life. Baxter must learn how to navigate the world given her unwieldy demeanor and the uncoordinated connection between her brain and body. It looks to be a pretty close re-interpretation of Mary Shelley’s classic science fiction novel Frankenstein. Whether it will get even close to investigating Shelley’s key questions and insights remains to be seen, of course. Interestingly, the scientist (Dafoe) has a deformed face that looks like it was stitched together piece by piece, similar to popular renderings of Frankenstein’s monster. You can watch the trailer here:

a-futuristic-glowing-quantum-computer-unit-3d-render-stockpack-adobe-stock
A futuristic glowing quantum computer unit, 3d render
Type
post
Author
News
Date
July 4, 2023
Categorized
Technology
Tagged
, , , , , , , ,

Quantum Computing: What Does it Change?

Microsoft's Julie Love discusses the myths and challenges of quantum computing
News
July 4, 2023
1
Technology

in today’s featured video from the 2022 COSM conference, Dr. Julie Love, Director of Quantum Computing Business Development at Microsoft, describes the challenges of quantum computing, exposes some of the myths regarding the technology, and describes the types of applications that quantum computers are best suited to address—including clean combustion, energy, and water, and energy efficiency. We’ve been sharing a number of lectures from past COSM conferences. This video is just one of many you can find at the Bradley Center’s YouTube page. There you’ll find several lectures, interviews, and panels dealing with issues that range from economics, Big Tech, and artificial intelligence. Notable speakers include 2022 Kyoto Prize winner Carver Mead, venture capitalist Peter Thiel, and George Gilder, co-founder of Discovery Institute and author Read More ›

social-network-connection-concept-community-generativce-ai-illustration-stockpack-adobe-stock
social network connection concept, community generativce ai illustration
Type
post
Author
News
Date
July 4, 2023
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence
Tagged
, , , , , , , ,

Marks Interviewed for a Fortune Article

The engineering professor and Mind Matters podcast host said we need to play down the AI hype
News
July 4, 2023
2
Artificial Intelligence

The insightful contributions of Walter Bradley Center’s Robert J. Marks continue to gain traction and attention. Marks was interviewed by Fortune magazine on artificial intelligence and its current hype. Marks told Fortune that we’re currently on a “hype curve,” saying: “We’ve always had this hype around A.I.,” Marks told Fortune, referencing the Perceptron. The professor said part of the reason investors and consumers are so caught up in the trend is generative A.I.’s ability to replicate humans. “There’s a lot of psychological aspects to the hype around artificial intelligence,” he noted. Systems like ChatGPT and Bard’s use “seductive optics” and eerie mimicry to appear more intelligent than they really are, said Marks, who is also director of the Walter Bradley Center for Read More ›

cosmetic-laboratory-research-and-development-science-bio-skincare-cream-serum-product-with-leaves-natural-organic-beauty-cosmetics-concept-cosmetology-stockpack-adobe-stock
cosmetic laboratory research and development . science bio skincare cream serum product with leaves. natural organic beauty cosmetics concept. cosmetology.
Type
post
Author
Jeffrey Funk
Date
July 4, 2023
Categorized
Science
Tagged
, , , , , , , , , ,

Scientists Have Been Recommending Changes to Science Education for Decades

The modern education system seems designed to squelch curiosity
Jeffrey Funk
July 4, 2023
7
Science

Gary Smith describes the problems with today’s science in his new book Distrust: Big Data, Data-Torturing, and the Assault on Science. He recounts endless examples of disinformation, data torture, and data mining, much of which we already knew. Taken together, however, and as I described in this review, they are mind-blowing. He argues that many of these problems come from things scientists do such as p-hacking during statistical analysis, too little emphasis on “impact” in statistical analyses, outright data falsification, and the creation of the Internet, which can be a huge disinformation machine in addition to a valuable resource. In the last chapter, he also offers some solutions such as ending the artificial thresholds for p-values such as 0.05, requiring Read More ›

shaking-hands-with-the-future-human-and-ai-collaboration-man-and-robot-on-background-of-huge-data-center-based-on-generative-ai-stockpack-adobe-stock
Shaking hands with the future: human and AI collaboration. Man and robot on background of huge data center. Based on Generative AI
Type
post
Author
News
Date
July 3, 2023
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence
Tagged
, , , , , , , , , ,

Marks: The More Complex the AI, the More It Could Go Wrong

Robert J. Marks's new article discusses how AI's growing complexity makes it harder to regulate
News
July 3, 2023
2
Artificial Intelligence

Robert J. Marks, director of the Walter Bradley Center for Natural & Artificial Intelligence, has a brand new article out over at Newsmax on the complexity of artificial intelligence and how, regardless of how many “band-aids” we put on its problematic outputs, it’s impossible to fully regulate a machine with this level of sophistication. Because AI is not a “slave to the truth,” it always needs improvement and correction by its human users. The problem is that we can’t avoid some of the damages until they’re already wrought. Marks writes, The more complex a system, the greater the number of ways it can respond and the more ways it can go wrong. The greater the number of possible responses, the Read More ›