Have you heard of the Blue Brain Project? Neither had I. Now I have. Its leader, Professor Markram, plans to build an electronic human brain within ten years.
In some ways computers work like our brains - processing data, storing information etc. But that's light years away from actually becoming a brain, with thoughts, feelings, sadnesses and happinesses of being human. The human brain is in a body and reacts to the world that it senses through a nervous system. Will Professor Markram's artificial brain be able to get information from an artificial eye, ear and skin? If not (and I think not) then how can it be like a human brain at all?
Just imagine, though, that the Professor is one day successful and creates a purely electronic brain which is conscious that it exists and can have its own thoughts. It will have no sense of being male or female. It will have no family or friends and will be dependent upon its makers. It will not feel the wind, or cry tears, or laugh. It might be extremely clever.
So Professor Markram, I think your future electronic brain, replicating the actions of the 100 billion neurons in our own grey matter, but not interacting with the world, won't actually be much like a human brain. Even so, you are thinking of creating an entity without knowing what the results will be. Is this science for the pleasure of it? And what about the little mice whose brains you are copying at this moment? Are they being treated as a means to an end rather than as sensitive little mammals with their own lives to lead? Here are lots of philosophical and ethical questions for discussion. What makes us human? How should we treate other living things? Would an electronic brain be alive, and have rights? Should there be more philosophy in science?
To put it another way would you, Professor Markram, like to be an electronic brain? Perhaps so. If not, should you inflict it on 'someone' else in the name of science?
Daily Mail 11.08.09 article entitled, 'Are we on the brink of creating a computer with a human brain?' by Michael Hanlon, science editor.
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If you think of the film Terminator, it is a scary idea..machines walking the srteets, talking, thinking, saying, doing. If programmed by the wrong person it 'could' be a receipe for disaster.
ReplyDeleteIn other ways positives can came from this..imagine having your own machine that you could programme to do all your housewok for you!!
If a machine (brain) were to be developed,would we later be able to programme emotions, empathy feelings in to it? An interesting thought.
Freyja
I think we can learn what NOT to do from science fiction. If there is any possibility of a 'Terminator' type future, we should stop developing artificial intelligence NOW! You could never program an artificial brain with proper emotions and empathy. If it could be programmed to only do good without the power to do evil then it wouldn't be a brain anyway, therefore couldn't feel emotions... a paradox! And as Jesus will sadly know if he is looking over us now, despite the best of intentions to do good, brains can turn your good programming to evil after you've gone.
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