Difference between revisions of "Whole brain emulation"
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The exact level of detail required for an accurate simulation of a brain's mind is presently uncertain, and will determine the difficulty of creating WBE. [[Brain-computer interfaces]] may permit WBE, by slowly replacing portions of the brain with computers and allowing the mind to grow onto a computing substrate. The feasibility of such a project has been examined in detail by the [[Future of Humanity Institute]] which concluded that a human brain emulation would be possible before the mid-century providing investment and computing power continued to grow. The Singularity Institute believes that an uploaded mind could also pose an [[existential risk]]. | The exact level of detail required for an accurate simulation of a brain's mind is presently uncertain, and will determine the difficulty of creating WBE. [[Brain-computer interfaces]] may permit WBE, by slowly replacing portions of the brain with computers and allowing the mind to grow onto a computing substrate. The feasibility of such a project has been examined in detail by the [[Future of Humanity Institute]] which concluded that a human brain emulation would be possible before the mid-century providing investment and computing power continued to grow. The Singularity Institute believes that an uploaded mind could also pose an [[existential risk]]. | ||
| − | A digitally emulated brain will have several | + | A digitally emulated brain will have several advantages over a biological one. It might be able to run faster than biological brains, copy itself, and take advantage of backups while experimenting with self-modification. Whole brain emulation will also create a number of ethical challenges relating to the nature of personhood, rights, and social inequality. Robin Hanson proposes that an uploaded mind [[Economic consequences of AI and whole brain emulation|might copy itself to work until the cost of running a copy was that of its labour]], vastly increasing the amount of wealth in the world but also causing mass unemployment. The ability to copy uploads could also lead to drastic changes in society's values, with the values of the uploads that got copied the most coming to dominate. |
==See Also== | ==See Also== | ||
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* [http://www.patternsinthevoid.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/2009-A-world-survey-of-artificial-brain-projects-Part1_Large-scale-brain-simulations.pdf A world survey of artificial brain projects, Part I: Large-scale brain simulations] by Hugo de Garis, Chen Shuo, Ben Goertzel and, Lian Ruiting, 2010 | * [http://www.patternsinthevoid.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/2009-A-world-survey-of-artificial-brain-projects-Part1_Large-scale-brain-simulations.pdf A world survey of artificial brain projects, Part I: Large-scale brain simulations] by Hugo de Garis, Chen Shuo, Ben Goertzel and, Lian Ruiting, 2010 | ||
* [http://hanson.gmu.edu/uploads.html If Uploads Come First: The crack of a future dawn] by Robin Hanson | * [http://hanson.gmu.edu/uploads.html If Uploads Come First: The crack of a future dawn] by Robin Hanson | ||
| + | * [http://intelligence.org/files/WBE-Superorgs.pdf Whole Brain Emulation and the Evolution of Superorganisms] | ||
| + | * [http://wp.goertzel.org/?page_id=368 International Journal of Machine Consciousness Special Issue on Mind Uploading] | ||
* [http://www.sim.me.uk/neural/JournalArticles/Bamford2012IJMC.pdf A framework for approaches to transfer of a mind's substrate] by Sim Bamford | * [http://www.sim.me.uk/neural/JournalArticles/Bamford2012IJMC.pdf A framework for approaches to transfer of a mind's substrate] by Sim Bamford | ||
* [http://www.xuenay.net/Papers/CoalescingMinds.pdf Coalescing Minds: Brain Uploading-related Group Mind Scenarios] by Kaj Sotala and Harri Valpola | * [http://www.xuenay.net/Papers/CoalescingMinds.pdf Coalescing Minds: Brain Uploading-related Group Mind Scenarios] by Kaj Sotala and Harri Valpola | ||
Revision as of 02:23, 17 July 2012
Whole Brain Emulation or WBE is a proposed technique which involves transferring the information contained within a brain onto a computing substrate. The brain can then be simulated, creating a machine intelligence. The concept is often discussed in context of scanning the brain of a person, known as mind uploading. WBE is sometimes seen as an easy way to creating intelligent computers, as the only innovations necessary are greatly increased processor speed and scanning resolution. Advocates of WBE claim technological improvement rates such as Moore's law will make WBE inevitable.
The exact level of detail required for an accurate simulation of a brain's mind is presently uncertain, and will determine the difficulty of creating WBE. Brain-computer interfaces may permit WBE, by slowly replacing portions of the brain with computers and allowing the mind to grow onto a computing substrate. The feasibility of such a project has been examined in detail by the Future of Humanity Institute which concluded that a human brain emulation would be possible before the mid-century providing investment and computing power continued to grow. The Singularity Institute believes that an uploaded mind could also pose an existential risk.
A digitally emulated brain will have several advantages over a biological one. It might be able to run faster than biological brains, copy itself, and take advantage of backups while experimenting with self-modification. Whole brain emulation will also create a number of ethical challenges relating to the nature of personhood, rights, and social inequality. Robin Hanson proposes that an uploaded mind might copy itself to work until the cost of running a copy was that of its labour, vastly increasing the amount of wealth in the world but also causing mass unemployment. The ability to copy uploads could also lead to drastic changes in society's values, with the values of the uploads that got copied the most coming to dominate.
See Also
External Links
- The Singularity is near: When humans transcend biology by Ray Kurzweil
- Brain Emulation Roadmap Report by The Future of Humanity Institute.
- Hans Moravec's Estimation of Human Brain Processing Capacity
- A world survey of artificial brain projects, Part I: Large-scale brain simulations by Hugo de Garis, Chen Shuo, Ben Goertzel and, Lian Ruiting, 2010
- If Uploads Come First: The crack of a future dawn by Robin Hanson
- Whole Brain Emulation and the Evolution of Superorganisms
- International Journal of Machine Consciousness Special Issue on Mind Uploading
- A framework for approaches to transfer of a mind's substrate by Sim Bamford
- Coalescing Minds: Brain Uploading-related Group Mind Scenarios by Kaj Sotala and Harri Valpola
