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>what is the possibility that something like this could be used to generate an artificial neural network which imitates, even crudely, the functions of the huma
by networked 13y ago
>what is the possibility that something like this could be used to generate an artificial neural network which imitates, even crudely, the functions of the human brain?
If possible, this would open a huge ethical can of worms: how can we tell such a simulation is not conscious? Would deleting its runtime data after however many simulation cycles be tantamount to murder?
Edit: I am not saying that the above concerns should stop us from working towards developing human brain simulations since the potential benefits of those are just too great. Rather, it is something we have to have in mind as they get more complex and closer to the real thing.
- alexjeffrey 13y agoI'm not necessarily saying we _should_ create a simulation of the human brain - just asking whether it would be possible. There are other much more concrete concerns with creating strong AI too - avoiding accidentally creating a paperclip maximiser comes to mind: http://wiki.lesswrong.com/wiki/Paperclip_maximizer http://wiki.lesswrong.com/wiki/Paperclip_maximizer
- comex 13y agoHeh... as serious as they may be, the idea of one of those hypothetical ethical issues science fiction authors have written a million almost-but-not-quite-plausible takes on finally becoming real makes me giddy. I suppose it has already happened for certain issues, but nothing so dramatic as considering a simulation conscious! Then again, it will likely be many years still before that actually comes up.