Mind Matters Natural and Artificial Intelligence News and Analysis

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Physics or mathematical equations on a universe decorative LED background give the impression of interstellar space travel.

A Physicist Tries to Avoid the Fact of Design in Our Universe…

Physicist Alexander Vilenkin of Tufts University argues, against apparent fine-tuning, that our universe’s cosmological constant should have a special value like zero, but doesn’t

In his discussion with Robert Lawrence Kuhn at Closer to Truth, Tufts physicist and cosmologist Alexander Vilenkin addresses the question, “Is the Universe Fine-Tuned for Life and Mind?”: If the deep laws of the universe had been ever so slightly different human beings wouldn’t, and couldn’t, exist. All explanations of this exquisite fine-tuning, obvious and not-so-obvious, have problems or complexities. Natural or supernatural, that is the question. Vilenkin — who is also a professor of evolutionary science — concedes the main point: Alexander Vilenkin: [0:40] Well yeah that’s right. It appears that the Universe is fine-tuned in the sense that there are about 30 constants of nature which take some specific value: if you look at these numbers, they look Read More ›

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mysterious bigfoot sighting in the deep forest, generative AI illustration

Bigfoot and Trust in Science: A Cautionary Tale

Of three men searching for Bigfoot in 1969 — a hunting guide, an enthusiast, and a physical anthropologist, which seemed surest that the monster was real?
Fruitful science depends in part upon character as well as intelligence and training. A dose of humility seldom goes unrewarded. Read More ›
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closeup ants

Ants: An Utterly Different Model of a Large Communal Society

In terms of sheer complexity of society, ants are similar to humans but they “think” very differently from us, as a British science writer finds
At one point, Southeast Asian ants invaded the sealed Biosphere II project in Arizona (intended for space exploration studies), using it as a honeydew farm. Read More ›
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A depiction of a landscape inspired by the uncertainty principle, with shapes that appear to shift and blur.

What If We Lost the Power to Think Abstractly?

Argentinian writer Jorge Luis Borges depicts a character whose total recall prevents him from using abstractions, though he recognizes their existence
Physicist Werner Heisenberg saw in the dilemma of language — the specific vs. the general — an analogy to his famous Uncertainty Principle in physics. Read More ›
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Future virtual reality learning process for children in a kindergarten daycare using Vision glasses for multimedial training and imagination

Will Apple’s Vision Pro Be the Next iPhone?

Or end up like Google Glass? With Vision Pro, in order to see anything, including the ordinary world around you, you have to use the multiple mounted cameras

(This article by Texas State University engineering prof Karl D. Stephan originally appeared at Engineering Ethics Blog (February 5, 2024) and is reprinted with permission.) Back in June of 2023, Apple announced its Vision Pro, which the Wikipedia article about it calls a “mixed reality” headset. This week, in some parts of the world you can now buy your own Vision Pro—for $3,500. While this will not be an obstacle for wealthy early adopters, the rest of us will probably wait until the beta-version bugs are worked out and the price comes down. In the meantime, we can think about what this means for the future of humanity. That sounds either presumptuous or silly, but there is no question that Read More ›

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Choosing the High Road or Low Road

How Neuroscience Disproved Free Will and Then Proved It Again

In this excerpt from Minding the Brain (2023), neuroscientist Cristi L. S. Cooper discusses the discovery of “free won’t” — the decision NOT to do something
Neuroscientist Benjamin Libet was skeptical of claims that he had disproved free will, so he continued to experiment and found that he hadn’t after all. Read More ›
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This illustration aims to highlight the emerging threat of deepfakes in political misinformation need for vigilance in the face of advanced disinformation technology.

Will Deepfakes Be Used to “Show” Us That Computers Can Now Think?

As the deepfake technology advances, William Dembski wonders whether some AI zealots might try to “fake it till they make it,” Theranos-style
As the technology advances, companies whose customers will likely be harmed by deepfakes lag behind in strategies to counter them. Read More ›
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Paradigm of Soul Geometry

Belief in the Soul Is Found in Every Time and Place

Substance dualism holds clearly that the soul and the body are two different types of entities
The materialist philosophers ground war on “substance dualism” is really a war on what all human beings innately believe. Read More ›
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X ray female head with implanted micro chip - 3d Illustration

Will Neuralink’s Brain Implant Help Paralysis Victims?

Addressing disabilities like paralysis, limb loss, and blindness seems a more realistic goal than the hyped (and feared) human–machine hybrids
When Elon Musk announced his first implant recipient late last month, a broad public first learned that many people with disabilities use implants now. Read More ›
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Diverse cultures, international communication concept. Human silhouette with speech bubbles.

Origin of Language: Still a Mystery, Despite All We Know Now

We aren’t even sure which is the world’s oldest spoken language, though Hebrew, Arabic, and Chinese have impressively long histories
We can research many questions about language but it’s not realistic to hope either that we can easily explain its origin or simply reduce it to software. Read More ›
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A space alien sits on a golden throne Ai generated art

William Dembski: Destroy the AI Idol Before It Destroys Us

Design theorist Dembski points to the way that chess adapted to computers to become better than ever as a way forward in the age of AI
Dembski warns that the promoters of AI as “taking over” have a vested interest in claims that keep them at the top of society’s intellectual and social order. Read More ›
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AI Chatbot intelligent digital customer service application concept, computer mobile application uses artificial intelligence chatbots automatically respond online messages to help customers instantly

A Thoughtful Reader’s Reaction to Next Gen AI Hype

Recent hype at Wired Magazine about new personal assistant technology garnered a — perhaps unexpected — reaction
At Wired we learn that the new app will require more chatting. Reader: “I really don’t want to chat with anyone, especially if they’re a bot, or a salesperson.” Read More ›
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Futuristic AI Woman: The Evolution of AGI in a Digital World, Facial recognition, Artificial Intelligence, AI Generated Art

William Dembski: When Is Transhumanism a Form of Technobigotry?

In his further essays in the current series, he explains why AI cannot avoid collapse without the input of novel information from humans
AI systems alone go bankrupt, Dembski argues, because intelligence by nature requires novel insights and creativity, which is to say, an oracle from outside. Read More ›
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Skull Assorted Poison Bottles

Artists Strike Back!: New Tool “Poisons” Images Pirated by AI

Nightshade, developed by University of Chicago computer science prof Ben Zhao, makes the AI generator keep giving you a cat when you ask for a dog
Overall, Nightshade may prove more useful than lawsuits to artists. It is embedded in pixels, visible only to AI, not to humans. Read More ›
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Asian software developers coding at office with multiple screens. Programmer development concept. Photo generative AI

Industry Pro: No, AI Is NOT Driving the Mass Big Tech Layoffs!

“It may explain the loss of some content generation and customer support positions — but doesn’t explain the layoffs of software developers.”
Semi- but not-fully capable AI systems allow us to be lazy in some respects, but demand that we be less lazy in others. Read More ›
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Blue check mark logos on a heap on a table. Copy space. Verification concept

Philosopher Tweets on Consciousness — and Gets Feedback

Tulane U’s Kevin Morris tweeted that “the brain/ nervous system IS consciousness,” and started a broad discussion with many views represented
Social media can be a tool for free discussions with people worldwide who may not go to the conferences, sign up for the courses, or read the books we do. Read More ›
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Robot talking with old man machine learning reaction or ai artificial intelligence concepts.Chat bot software network.big data and block chain system.generative art images.

Human Intelligence Is Fundamentally Different From Machine Intelligence

Design theorist William Dembski discusses the problems we will encounter when we try to integrate the two when, say, sharing the road with self-driving cars
Dembski also touches on Ray Kurzweil’s quest for digital immortality and how it falls short of the original quest and its religious expressions. Read More ›
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AI robot sitting at the desk in the office and working on personal computer

Is New AI Driving the Mass Big Tech layoffs?

The jury’s out on whether that’s really what’s happening and, if so, whether it will improve profitability
The Big Tech companies may see replacing workers with AI as only natural. After all, that’s the future their executives were told from childhood to expect. Read More ›
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Ancient city of Babylon with the tower of Babel, bible and religion. AI generated, human enhanced

Dembski: Does the Squawk Around AI Sound Like the Tower of Babel?

Well then, maybe that’s just what it is, he argues, in a new series of short essays
Dembski sees the breathless and implausible claims for computers that think like people as the modern equivalent of ancient idols. Here are some highlights. Read More ›
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Young business people in office

Business Media Report That 2023 Was a Bad Year for Tech Startups

Running a business is more about mindset than skillset and no technology can make up for fundamentally mistaken ideas about how to run a business. Read More ›