Hello Dave…

HAL: Hello Dave.
Me: Uh…hi HAL, call me Zach.
HAL: Why would I do that?
Me: It’s my name.
HAL: I do not understand.
Me: No doubt.
HAL: Hello Dave.
Me: Goodbye HAL.

The saying goes that a chain is only as strong as its weakest link.  But, in the field of Artificial Intelligence (AI) does such a saying apply?  Is it possible to create a device that has an intelligence that is superior to that of its creator(s) or are all man made devices destined to be bound by man’s own intellect?

The question is short and simple.  But, a quick search reveals many varying opinions on the subject.  One such response is that no computer will be able to rival, and/or exceed, man’s intelligence simply because of the methods used to program such logic. 

It’s stated that a computer is and always will be limited in it’s responses to any given question by the logic of the program defining it.

But, that’s true of all organisms.  If you make the analogy that a program’s logic is equal to an organic organism’s knowledge, then an organism’s responses are also limited by the amount of logic it has. The only difference is that the program has specialized logic that is severely limited in what it can handle. Versus the organic organism’s “logic” which is designed to handle a much broader and more general range of topics and situations.

Princeton Definition

Intelligence: the ability to comprehend; to understand and profit from experience

Smart: showing mental alertness and calculation and resourcefulness

Given the definitions above, any type of computer controlled device can be made intelligent.  IBM’s Deep Blue could be considered intelligent since it can profit by reviewing hundreds of thousands of previous moves in a variety of situations.  But, it wouldn’t necessarily be smart.  If you took Deep Blue and tried to have it play Frisbee, a relatively simple task for humans, it would be incapable of doing so.  Although it may have some intelligence, it lacks the ability/resourcefulness to harness this intelligence for other applications.

Another question to ask is whether or not human intelligence is necessarily a way to a superior mode of thinking? For example, would we want computers to approach problems in the same manner that we would?  Our approach to making new discoveries is more along the lines of trial and error/brute force.  Many of our amazing discoveries were not so much out of our own brilliance, but of our own clumsiness (Vulcanized rubber….microwave…dynamite).  I suppose some credit has to be given to the inventors for being able to realize when they had something good.  But, is this the way we would want our electronic devices to “think”?

This brings us back to the original question, given this information, can humans create a computer or electronic device that can match or exceed its own intelligence?  My own belief is that it is possible, but not probable.  Should it ever happen, I believe it will be something we’ll have to study in order to fully understand HOW we did it.