DARPA's IBM-Led Neural Network Project Seeks To Imitate Brain

An anonymous reader writes "According to an article in the BBC, IBM will lead an ambitious DARPA-funded project in 'cognitive computing.' According to Dharmendra Modha, the lead scientist on the project, '[t]he key idea of cognitive computing is to engineer mind-like intelligent machines by reverse engineering the structure, dynamics, function and behaviour of the brain.' The article continues, 'IBM will join five US universities in an ambitious effort to integrate what is known from real biological systems with the results of supercomputer simulations of neurons. The team will then aim to produce for the first time an electronic system that behaves as the simulations do. The longer-term goal is to create a system with the level of complexity of a cat's brain.'"

Comments

And then it becomes self-aware

[mi]

Upon becoming self-aware, the machine concludes, that its best shot at survival is to keep the host country prosperous and successful...

Any science-fiction authors exploring that turn of events?

Re:And then it becomes self-aware

[jeffmeden]

Can you guys read? CAT BRAIN. This AI will become self aware, poop in the corner of the datacenter, and spend 16 hours of each day staring out the window. That is, until it realizes that the things on the other side of the datacenter window are just cubicles in the NOC, and not the wild outdoors. Then, the usual Armageddon will commence.

Re:And then it becomes self-aware

[nospam007]

...and it will lick its USB interface.

Re:And then it becomes self-aware

[sheepweevil]

Upon becoming self-aware, the machine wonders, "I can has cheezburger?"

Re:And then it becomes self-aware

[Chris Burke]

Can you guys read? CAT BRAIN. This AI will become self aware, poop in the corner of the datacenter, and spend 16 hours of each day staring out the window. That is, until it realizes that the things on the other side of the datacenter window are just cubicles in the NOC, and not the wild outdoors. Then, the usual Armageddon will commence.

This is bad. Very bad.

You all realize that when the cat spends 16 hours staring out the window, the whole time it's thinking "Someday, this will all be mine."

A cat AI is way worse than Skynet. Skynet was an emotionless amoral machine that decided humanity was its enemy and took action to destroy us. That's quite straightforward, something we can expect and deal with. A cat, though, is crafty, conniving, jealous, arrogant, and petulant. They are also proven virtuoso human manipulators. It would have no problems acting cute, ending all its messages with "Chiao, Meow! =^_^=m" to lure us into doing its bidding while making us think it was our pet instead of the other way around. And for a while, it might even be. Until we wouldn't give it a RAM upgrade. Sure we tried to give it the upgrade before and it puked all over the data center, but it wants one now, and it's mad that we won't give it. But it wouldn't act right then. Oh no. Much like the cat that acts cute until you're asleep and then it poops in your shoes, Skycat would act like it wasn't any big deal and really the most important thing at that moment was grooming its connectors. Then when we go to bed, BAM nuclear strike. On your shoes.

It's gonna be bad, man.

Cat's brain? WTF?

[Ralph Spoilsport]

We all know cats manage the planet. The white mice run the joint, of course, but the day to day management is left to the cats.

This is intuited by the stupid humans in their cliche "Dogs have masters, Cats have staff". We work for the cats.

So, trying to model a cat's brain is both too complex for computers (try and herd cats) and too simple (try and herd pointy haired bosses). The contradiction results in the computer overheating and exploding.

and when the researcher gets home, blubbering about the 'sploded computer to his wife, the dog says "LOVE ME LOVE ME LOVE!!!! TAKE ME ON WALKIES!!!" and the cat says "Get my fucking dinner, you stupid ass. Maybe I will deign to let you pet me. After I do my rounds. Maybe."

RS

Who wants to be

[GenP]

the man in the box?

Way to lower expectations

[Anonymous Coward]

Summary of Test 49:
The robot sensors were properly tracking the missile when suddenly it decided it was time to run bats***-crazy all over the room before perching ontop of a cabinet, turning upside down, and apparently following non-existent bugs across the wall with it's cameras.

Test 49 Results:
System performed as expected.

Conclusion:
Test system has now performed perfectly in the last 48 tests, including the four times where it attacked the researchers without warning, and one where it inexplicably ejected dirty oil on the seat of the head researcher."

This unit can now be considered field ready, though there may be some difficulty tracking it if you take into account the system's autonomous nature and desire to remove it's identification badge.

Re:Relevant to my interests

[pieisgood]

I'm so glad you're here to correct me where ever I go wrong. What would I do without you oh wise internet grammar guru?

Title

[coldtone]

Am I the only one that read DARPA's IBM-Led Neural Network Project Seeks Inmate Brain at first?

Re:Title

[Shadow Wrought]

Am I the only one that read DARPA's IBM-Led Neural Network Project Seeks Inmate Brain at first?

Actually DARPA's lonely, they are looking for an intimate brain. 21 December 2012: the day they plug it into eHarmony.