Christian Brannock is remotely neurally linked to the robot, Gimmick, which is exploring the Mercurian surface. Brannock's colleague, Willem Schuyten, reflects that:
"He had often heard such highly developed computers and neural nets, with their programs and databases, called 'brains.' People who worked with one, like Christian - although seldom as intimately as he did - were apt to give it a name and speak of its personal quirks, as other people might speak of a ship or a tool that had served them a long time." (pp. 15-16)
This is where a crucial transition occurs. Conscious beings use tools, including computers, but the tools are not conscious. Neurons in brains generate consciousness. If a "neural net" duplicates the functions of neurons, then it also generates consciousness. Thus, conscious artificial intelligence emerges.
The name, "Gimmick," enables us to make a comparison with the soft sf writer, CS Lewis, who writes a convincing account of a Lunar landing but displays his lack of scientific knowledge and understanding by dismissively labeling scientific instruments as "gimmicks":
"The landing was not without terror, but there were so many gimmicks to look after, so much skill to be exercised, that it did not amount to very much."
-CS Lewis, "Forms of Things Unknown" IN Lewis, The Dark Tower And Other Stories (London, 1983), pp. 124-132 AT p. 128.
In imagination, we venture to the Moon with Lewis and to Mercury with Anderson.
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
And I still have very strong doubts that it will even be possible to create or build an artificial neural net duplicating the functions of human neurons, hence an "AI." I believe Anderson was also skeptical but was quite willing to speculate about such things, as we know.
Ad astra! Sean
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