Mind Matters Natural and Artificial Intelligence News and Analysis

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stand-out-from-the-crowd-and-different-creative-idea-concepts-one-red-3d-social-media-notification-love-like-heart-pin-icon-pop-up-from-others-on-light-green-pastel-color-wall-background-3d-rendering-stockpack-adobe-stock
Stand out from the crowd and different creative idea concepts One red 3d social media notification love like heart pin icon pop up from others on light green pastel color wall background 3D rendering
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post
Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
November 18, 2021
Categorized
Censorship, Social Media
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Indie Social Medium Now Shows Big Gain Due to Big Tech Censorship

Rumble recently received backing from venture capitalist Peter Thiel, PayPal and Facebook co-founder
Denyse O'Leary
November 18, 2021
3
Censorship, Social Media

In the current issue of City Journal, Steven Malanga looks at the traffic Silicon Valley is losing. Not much was expected of Rumble, an alternative YouTube founded in 2013 by Canadian entrepreneur Chris Pavlovski. But it hung on until 2020, when YouTube stepped up its efforts to remove content inconsistent with its public-spirited values or with its parent company Google’s political alliances — depending on who you talk to. At any rate, high-profile commentators were looking fora new home. And they found one: In just ten months, Rumble’s online viewership has increased 25-fold. The company has attracted funding from prominent venture capitalists and recently completed a series of deals to bring such outspoken voices as Greenwald, Gabbard, and Joe Rogan Read More ›

couple-in-bed-on-mobile-phones-ignoring-each-other-in-relationship-problems-and-technology-addiction-stockpack-adobe-stock
Couple in bed on mobile phones ignoring each other in relationship problems and technology addiction
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post
Author
Andrew McDiarmid
Date
November 18, 2021
Categorized
Relationships, Social Media
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5 Ways to Keep the Digital Marketplace Out of Your Home

Today, people who share living quarters interact much less, due to the constant presence of social media and other digital alternatives
Andrew McDiarmid
November 18, 2021
5
Relationships, Social Media

After a busy day in the public sphere, it’s a beautiful thing to come home. Our house is a sanctuary, a safe place to relax and regroup. And it’s where we cultivate some of our most intimate relationships. Up until the early decades of the 20th century, the family home was viewed as a private domain that should not be intruded upon by the marketplace. But the development of new technologies like the telephone, radio, and television blurred the line between our public and private spheres. Today, we give a host of companies and organizations intimate access to our family through our screens, subscriptions, digital assistants, and smart appliances. This erosion of our private time and our place of refuge Read More ›

thank-you-stockpack-adobe-stock
Thank You
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post
Author
Heather Zeiger
Date
November 17, 2021
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Data Privacy, Education, Global Technology, Programming
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Search Engines: Closing the Gap for Minority Languages

Thousands of the world’s languages are spoken by fewer than 100,000 people. At COSM 2021, Phil Parker outlined a plan for giving them access to information
Heather Zeiger
November 17, 2021
3
Artificial Intelligence, Data Privacy, Education, Global Technology, Programming

We’ve all consulted “Dr. Google” for a health ailment or to find a recipe or learn how to fix something perhaps. Sometimes helpful, sometimes not. But what if you asked Google something — and it didn’t even recognize your language? Phil Parker, speaking at COSM 2021, told the story of a woman in Ethiopia searching for “lump in breast,” using one of the over 80 languages or dialects spoken in the region. Her language was one of thousands spoken by only a comparatively small population. The search engine did not recognize her input and returned no hits. She tried her query in Swahili, but there was nothing she found informative about “breast lumps” in Swahili. She finally tried her search Read More ›

random numbers
Background with numbers
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post
Author
News
Date
November 17, 2021
Categorized
Mathematics, Programming, Science
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How Even Random Numbers Show Evidence of Design

Random number generators are actually pseudo-random number generators because they depend on designed algorithms
News
November 17, 2021
12
Mathematics, Programming, Science

In Define information before you talk about it, neurosurgeon Michael Egnor interviewed engineering prof Robert J. Marks on the way information, not matter, shapes our world (October 28, 2021). In the first portion, Egnor and Marks discussed questions like: Why do two identical snowflakes seem more meaningful than one snowflake. Then they turned to the relationship between information and creativity. Is creativity a function of more information? Or is there more to it? And human intervention make any difference? Many questions arose during the discussion. Does Mount Rushmore have no more information than Mount Fuji? Does human intervention make a measurable difference? That’s specified complexity. Putting the idea of specified complexity to work, how do we measure meaningful information? How Read More ›

flag-of-china-and-clock-stockpack-adobe-stock
Flag of China and clock
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post
Author
Heather Zeiger
Date
November 17, 2021
Categorized
Business and Finance, Economics, Ethics, Technocracy
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Gingrich at COSM: China Is the Greatest Threat to Global Freedom

Newt Gingrich fears America will lose to China. George Gilder argues that thinking that way is self-defeating and stupid
Heather Zeiger
November 17, 2021
8
Business and Finance, Economics, Ethics, Technocracy

At COSM 2021, philosopher of technology George Gilder and political analyst Newt Gingrich sparred over U.S.–China relations. Gilder and Gingrich, a former U.S. Congressman, exemplify the two predominant views on China today. Former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and author Gingrich says the U.S. should decouple from China, while economist and author Gilder sees collaboration with China as our best — and only — option. Gingrich: Optimism about a more open China is waning In his opening remarks, Gingrich recalled that he was once an optimist that Chinese reformist leader Deng Xiaoping’s opening up strategy would usher in a more democratic China because Communism was incompatible with a free market economy. But, Gingrich, who has been a history Read More ›

Glücksspiel
Type
post
Author
News
Date
November 16, 2021
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Science
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Can Wholly Random Processes Produce Information?

Can information result, without intention, from a series of accidents? Some have tried it with computers…
News
November 16, 2021
13
Artificial Intelligence, Science

In Define information before you talk about it, neurosurgeon Michael Egnor interviewed engineering prof Robert J. Marks on the way information, not matter, shapes our world (October 28, 2021). In the first portion, Egnor and Marks discussed questions like: Why do two identical snowflakes seem more meaningful than one snowflake. Then they turned to the relationship between information and creativity. Is creativity a function of more information? Or is there more to it? And human intervention make any difference? Does Mount Rushmore have no more information than Mount Fuji? Does human intervention make a measurable difference? That’s specified complexity. Putting the idea of specified complexity to work, how do we measure meaningful information? How do we know Lincoln contained more Read More ›

neuron-close-up-stockpack-adobe-stock
Neuron close up
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post
Author
Denyse O'Leary
Date
November 16, 2021
Categorized
Neuroscience
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Human Neurons, Brains, Much More Efficient Than Animal Ones

What was formerly thought to be “junk DNA” differs between humans and chimpanzees and plays a role in brain development
Denyse O'Leary
November 16, 2021
4
Neuroscience

What makes humans different should be straightforward, right? We should, for example, have more complex neurons than ferrets and macaques. But we don’t. We have simpler ones: Neurons communicate with each other via electrical impulses, which are produced by ion channels that control the flow of ions such as potassium and sodium. In a surprising new finding, MIT neuroscientists have shown that human neurons have a much smaller number of these channels than expected, compared to the neurons of other mammals. MIT, “A Striking Difference Between Neurons of Humans and Other Mammals” at Neuroscience News (November 10, 2021) The paper requires a subscription. In the most extensive study of its kind, nine other mammals were studied. Larger mammals have larger Read More ›

servers-at-sunset-cloud-technology-concept-3d-rendering-stockpack-adobe-stock
Servers at sunset, cloud technology concept. 3d rendering
Type
post
Author
Casey Luskin
Date
November 16, 2021
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Philosophy of Mind
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Harvard U Press Computer Science Author Gives AI a Reality Check

Erik Larson told COSM 2021 about real limits in getting machines that don’t live in the real world to understand it
Casey Luskin
November 16, 2021
4
Artificial Intelligence, Philosophy of Mind

The speaker told the audience that although computers can do many impressive things, they will never achieve artificial intelligence. Who is “they” in the sentence you just read? The audience or computers? You immediately know the answer. It’s computers, because we know that researchers are struggling how to figure out how to endow computers with AI. It makes no sense to talk about an audience having artificial intelligence. You intuitively understanding the meaning of “they” in the sentence without even having to think about it. What if the sentence had read: The speaker told the audience that although computers can do many impressive things, they will be sorry if they bought one of this year’s models. Again, it is obvious Read More ›

composite-image-of-hacker-holding-laptop-and-credir-card-stockpack-adobe-stock
Composite image of hacker holding laptop and credir card
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post
Author
News
Date
November 16, 2021
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Data Privacy
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Physicality Of Data: The Road To Inherently Safer Authentication

Even though the world is arguably far more at risk from uncontrolled data than from uncontrolled HHCs, there are no hordes of people demanding solutions — yet
News
November 16, 2021
7
Artificial Intelligence, Data Privacy

“The Physicality Of Data And The Road To Inherently Safer Authentication” was originally published by Forbes, (October 8, 2021) David Kruger is Co-Founder and VP of Strategy for Absio Corporation and a co-inventor of Absio’s Software-defined Distributed Key Cryptography (SDKC). Two different classes of identifiers must be tested to reliably authenticate things and people: assigned identifiers, such as names, addresses and social security numbers, and some number of physical characteristics. For example, driver’s licenses list assigned identifiers (name, address and driver’s license number) and physical characteristics (picture, age, height, eye and hair color and digitized fingerprints). Authentication requires examining both the license and the person to verify the match. Identical things are distinguished by unique assigned identities such as a Read More ›

abstract-virtual-microscheme-illustration-on-flag-of-china-and-blurry-cityscape-background-big-data-and-database-concept-multiexposure-stockpack-adobe-stock
Abstract virtual microscheme illustration on flag of China and blurry cityscape background. Big data and database concept. Multiexposure
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post
Author
News
Date
November 15, 2021
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Military
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The Great Race for Military AI and Quantum Computing Is On

And China is far ahead in both, analysts told COSM 2021
News
November 15, 2021
7
Artificial Intelligence, Military

On the second day of the COSM 2021 conference, speakers asked — with appropriate skepticism — whether we could ever produce true Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). But the final day of the conference hosted a conversation on the realistically achievable forms of AI and quantum computing that may pose existential threats to modern life. Robert J. Marks, Director of the Walter Bradley Center for Natural and Artificial Intelligence (which hosted COSM) — also Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Baylor University — spoke first. The title of his 2020 book, The Case for Killer Robots: Why America’s Military Needs to Continue Development of Lethal AI , provides an unsubtle hint at his position. Marks thinks that AI will Read More ›

multimedia-video-concept-on-tv-set-in-dark-room-stockpack-adobe-stock
Multimedia video concept on TV set in dark room
Type
post
Author
Jonathan Bartlett
Date
November 15, 2021
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture
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Culture Watch: “This is Us” Recognizes Limits of Machines

Let's hope that this becomes a trend of popular culture dealing with the realities of technology and its limitations
Jonathan Bartlett
November 15, 2021
3
Artificial Intelligence, Arts & Culture

Most people do not recognize the inherent limitations of machines and algorithms. This is true even more in popular culture, which seems to be fixated on a narrative of machines becoming sentient and taking over. However, in a recent episode of the popular TV show “This is Us,” the limitations of computer algorithms came to the forefront, with the show not only recognizing the outlines, but getting the details correct. You might wonder why a TV drama is getting involved in the technical details of a discussion on the limits of computation. “This is Us” is a TV show which emphasizes the connections between generations — how the altruism and selfishness as well as the accomplishments and failures of each Read More ›

industry-metallurgical-plant-dawn-smoke-smog-emissions-bad-ecology-aerial-photography-stockpack-adobe-stock
industry metallurgical plant dawn smoke smog emissions bad ecology aerial photography
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post
Author
News
Date
November 15, 2021
Categorized
Business and Finance, Data Privacy
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Physicality Of Data And The Road To Inherently Safer Computing

The software industry today is precisely where the chemical industry was in 1978; hazard control is a mere afterthought
News
November 15, 2021
7
Business and Finance, Data Privacy

“The Physicality Of Data And The Road To Inherently Safer Computing” was originally published by Forbes, August 24, 2021. David Kruger is Co-Founder and VP of Strategy for Absio Corporation and a co-inventor of Absio’s Software-defined Distributed Key Cryptography (SDKC). Our current concept of cybersecurity is to defend against attacks and remedy failure by erecting more and better defenses. That’s a fundamental mistake in thinking that guarantees failure. Why? Because it’s mathematically impossible for a defensive strategy to fully succeed, as explained in the previous installment of this article series. Another even more fundamental mistake in thinking is that cyberattackers are the cause of our woes. They aren’t. They’re the effect. A hazard is a potential source of harm. Cyberattackers target certain Read More ›

ghostwriter-in-office-creative-ghost-writer-stockpack-adobe-stock
Ghostwriter In Office. Creative Ghost Writer
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post
Author
Jonathan Bartlett
Date
November 15, 2021
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Economics
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Book Review: “Ghost Work” Flops in Economic Understanding

"Ghost workers" are those unseen workers behind artificial intelligence
Jonathan Bartlett
November 15, 2021
7
Artificial Intelligence, Economics

Here at Mind Matters, we have often covered the way that humans are used to supplement Artificial Intelligence. Artificial intelligence has generally been misunderstood as replacing human effort in society, while, in reality, it is usually leveraging it, instead. Whether using humans to find good training data, mining content for intentionality, or even using humans directly within machine learning algorithms, today’s most prominent “AI” systems are actually strange hybrids of humans and computers. As a matter of fact, the market for human supplementation of AI is so large that Amazon has an entire service built around it. While much of this work is done either for free (oftentimes through games on the Internet) or through traditional paid office work, a growing amount is being done through “microtasks,” through systems Read More ›

the-earth-from-space-this-image-elements-furnished-by-nasa-stockpack-adobe-stock
The Earth from space. This image elements furnished by NASA.
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post
Author
News
Date
November 14, 2021
Categorized
Environment, Philosophy, Science
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Astronomer: We Can’t Just Assume Countless Earths Out There

He points out that the Principle of Mediocrity is based on faulty logical reasoning
News
November 14, 2021
4
Environment, Philosophy, Science

Dartmouth physicist and astronomer Marcelo Gleiser wrote recently that the Copernican Principle has been misused to imply that Earth is somehow insignificant. That, he says, is a philosophical attitude, unrelated to the science. We don’t know where Earth stands in relation to other planets because we do not yet have telescopes capable of getting much detail about planets outside our solar system. Gleiser, author of The Island of Knowledge (2014), has also tackled the Mediocrity Principle (because Earth is nothing special, there must be countless intelligent civilizations out there). According to Britannica, “Widely believed by astronomers since the work of Nicolaus Copernicus, this principle states that the properties and evolution of the solar system are not unusual in any important Read More ›

water waves
Beautiful water waves - Splashed water wave in clean blue water, clean filtered water ready for drinking
Type
post
Author
News
Date
November 14, 2021
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Censorship, Data Privacy, Surveillance
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Why AI Can’t Really Filter Out “Hate News”

As Robert J. Marks explains, the No Free Lunch theorem establishes that computer programs without bias are like ice cubes without cold
News
November 14, 2021
12
Artificial Intelligence, Censorship, Data Privacy, Surveillance

In Define information before you talk about it, neurosurgeon Michael Egnor interviewed engineering prof Robert J. Marks on the way information, not matter, shapes our world (October 28, 2021). In the first portion, Egnor and Marks discussed questions like: Why do two identical snowflakes seem more meaningful than one snowflake. Then they turned to the relationship between information and creativity. Is creativity a function of more information? Or is there more to it? And human intervention make any difference? Does Mount Rushmore have no more information than Mount Fuji? Does human intervention make a measurable difference? That’s specified complexity. Putting the idea of specified complexity to work, how do we measure meaningful information? How do we know Lincoln contained more Read More ›

robot assistant
Girl in orange shirt standing near house robot
Type
post
Author
News
Date
November 13, 2021
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Philosophy of Mind
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Silicon Valley Insider: Why Friendly Super-AI Won’t Happen

Venture capitalist Peter Thiel talks about the Great Filter hypothesis: Why should we assume a superior artificial intelligence would be friendly?
News
November 13, 2021
4
Artificial Intelligence, Philosophy of Mind

In a wide-ranging talk at the recent COSM 2021 conference (November 10–12), Peter Thiel (a PayPal and Facebook founder) expressed concern that people worry a great deal about artificial intelligence that thinks like people (AGI) but the real push now is for massive “dumb” surveillance AI peering into every detail of our lives, for the benefit of either government or the corporate world. He went on to say that he doubts that artificial general intelligence (AGI) — “superhuman software that can do everything that we can do” — would, in any event, be “friendly.” That is, that it “won’t kill us.” If it is intelligent enough to be independent, why should we assume so? “Friendly” is a human value, hard Read More ›

life-support-still
Type
post
Author
News
Date
November 13, 2021
Categorized
Arts & Culture, Environment
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When Oxygen Becomes the Most Precious Commodity — Sci-fi Saturday

This sci-fi riff on what where atmospheric pollution could lead us offers beautiful renderings of abandoned advanced civilizations, housed in caves
News
November 13, 2021
23
Arts & Culture, Environment

“Life support” at DUST by Saleh Jamsheer (at DUST November 12, 2021, 6:02 min, animated) A seeker finds himself distressed by his dependencies and is constantly searching for a way to survive without his life support. Review: The story is set in an age of atmosphere meltdown. Space-suited humans live in caves and, when things go wrong with their air supply, they are rescued by aerial drones. Favorite line from rescue drone: “Would it be a bad time to say I told you so?” (Shaykha Sayyar as N.O.V.A. and Voice of Authority) Um, yes, N.O.V.A. Now please ask us a challenging question. The central character, 178 (Saleh Jamsheer), finds himself in the ruins of a civilization started by drone hybrids Read More ›

science-fiction-interior-a-hallway-with-reinforced-gate-stockpack-adobe-stock
Science fiction interior - a hallway with reinforced gate.
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post
Author
News
Date
November 13, 2021
Categorized
Information Theory, Science
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Physicist: Does Captain Kirk Die Going Through the Transporter?

The problem has kept her up at night for decades, she says, and it appears we are no closer to an answer
News
November 13, 2021
4
Information Theory, Science

Theoretical physicist Sabine Hossenfelder is genuinely puzzled and asks readers for possible solutions: Does Captain Kirk die when he goes through the transporter? This question has kept me up at night for decades. I’m not kidding. And I still don’t have an answer. So this video isn’t going to answer the question, but I will explain why it’s more difficult than you may think. Sabine Hossenfelder, “Does Captain Kirk die when he goes through the transporter?” at BackRe(Action) (October 23, 2021) Why so difficult? Assume that all the information about a person is contained in the exact configuration in which it appears at one moment in time. Hossenfelder accepts that as the correct view. So the transporter converts you into Read More ›

robots-dancing-in-the-park-artificial-intelligence-industry-in-china-stockpack-adobe-stock
Robots dancing in the park. Artificial intelligence industry in China.
Type
post
Author
Heather Zeiger
Date
November 12, 2021
Categorized
Artificial Intelligence, Global Technology, Medicine and Health, Surveillance
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COSM 2021: Kai-Fu Lee Tries His Hand at Future Casting

The former president of Google China thinks that China is well equipped to lead the world in AI
Heather Zeiger
November 12, 2021
7
Artificial Intelligence, Global Technology, Medicine and Health, Surveillance

At COSM 2021, Kai-Fu Lee — computer scientist, writer, venture capitalist and former head of Google China — provided a future cast of the five ways artificial intelligence will change the world. Lee’s predictions are compelling because he takes a tempered view of the capabilities of AI. Lee says some people misunderstand AI. It can’t replicate the human brain because it works differently from the brain. AI is good at using large amounts of data for numerical optimization and individualization, but very poor at extraction analysis, common sense, insight, and creativity. Lee told the gathering: … of course [AI] has no self-awareness, consciousness, or emotions or love. So, it is actually quite a good complement for human beings because we’re Read More ›

COSM-2021-Jim-Tour-graphene
Jim Tour at COSM 2021 on our zero carbon future
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post
Author
Casey Luskin
Date
November 12, 2021
Categorized
Environment
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Flash Graphene: Born Again Plastic Is Planet-Friendly

Chemist James Tour outlined a new approach to carbon waste at COSM 2021: Use electricity to turn it into graphene, to be recycled as new materials
Casey Luskin
November 12, 2021
5
Environment

Remember that mindblowing scene in Back to the Future II where Doc Brown shows up in his flying Delorean and throws trash into the “Mr. Fusion” unit in the back — and it’s instantly converted into fuel? We aren’t quite there yet. But if what Rice University synthetic chemist James Tour told COSM 2021 proves right, then we can take current trash — e-waste, food waste, useless wood, discarded plastic, old tires, etc. — and reclaim it at low cost to make materials that we can incorporate into many technologies. Tour and his team have developed methods for turning carbon waste into graphene, an allotrope of carbon that can be stacked to form graphite (best known as the “lead” in Read More ›