Supercomputing

18 Pages 4575 Words

ough imitating the functioning of the human
brain requires two more things in addition to appropriate learning rules
(and sufficiently powerful hardware): it requires having an adequate initial
architecture and providing a rich flux of sensory input.

The latter prerequisite is easily provided even with present technology.
Using video cameras, microphones and tactile sensors, it is possible to
ensure a steady flow of real-world information to the artificial neural
network. An interactive element could be arranged by connecting the system
to robot limbs and a speaker.

Developing an adequate initial network structure is a more serious problem.
It might turn out to be necessary to do a considerable amount of hand-coding
in order to get the cortical architecture right. In biological organisms, the
brain does not start out at birth as a homogenous tabula rasa; it has an
initial structure that is coded genetically. Neuroscience can...