This comes down to the classic debate of dualism - wheter are minds are distinct from our bodies. I'm inclined to favour the side of the dualist - that consciousness can never arise out of a machine (or even of merely matter).
To be sure, neurons are ridiculously more complex than light switches, logic gates or even more complex ICs. However, a neuron can be rather accurately modeled with perceptrons, or as a simple (analog) electronic circuit with weighted inputs. The neuron takes in some electric signal input(s) and produces some electric signal output(s). Now, to me it seems that regardless of however many of these simple (or even of more complex) tiny circuits we stack together, they will never achieve anything approaching awareness.
On a different note, the article summary stated that one researcher suspected that this society may even develop ritualistic behaviour, and I am inclined to agree. If the project is performing random mutations on an agent's behaviour, then it is natural for an agent to develop a behaviour with excess process and continue to use and spread it without that agent or any other perceiving the excess process as being superfluous.
Slashdot Mirror
From the article:
"'This is no different than what is in San Andreas, although worse.'"
So somehow it's worse without actually being any different? I'm confused...
This comes down to the classic debate of dualism - wheter are minds are distinct from our bodies. I'm inclined to favour the side of the dualist - that consciousness can never arise out of a machine (or even of merely matter). To be sure, neurons are ridiculously more complex than light switches, logic gates or even more complex ICs. However, a neuron can be rather accurately modeled with perceptrons, or as a simple (analog) electronic circuit with weighted inputs. The neuron takes in some electric signal input(s) and produces some electric signal output(s). Now, to me it seems that regardless of however many of these simple (or even of more complex) tiny circuits we stack together, they will never achieve anything approaching awareness. On a different note, the article summary stated that one researcher suspected that this society may even develop ritualistic behaviour, and I am inclined to agree. If the project is performing random mutations on an agent's behaviour, then it is natural for an agent to develop a behaviour with excess process and continue to use and spread it without that agent or any other perceiving the excess process as being superfluous.