artificial intelligence and consciousness - Part 1

Artificial Intelligence is a term that is being widely used nowadays but as a concept it had captured human interest and imagination since last two centuries. Mary Shelley's Frankenstein was perhaps one of the early thoughts. Robots captured human imagination with limitless possibilities in the last century but the journey has been slow and tedious. Now Machine Learning and Deep Learning, the key ingredients of AI open up the frontiers to new opportunities. Machine Learning with Neural Networks based on Supervised and Unsupervised learning of data depend on a new paradigm called Data Science for training an algorithm with very large set of data so that the algorithm is able to predict results closer to the actual through minimization of errors. Neural Networks that are modeled after the interaction of neurons on human brains extend the possibility. Even though the AI concepts were theorized back in the 1950s and 1960s, the possibility of them concepts becoming practical could have only happened with the advanced of computational power (like availability of GPU, exponential increase in memory and processing speed and the reduction in hardware size and cost), as well as the discovery of new algorithms that could open up new possibilities. In 1997 IBM showed the way with Deep Blue defeating Gary Kasparov in chess, but it was more of a brute force than any real intelligence that was behind it. The 1990s had also showed the newer realms of business use cases for machine learning like image recognition, handwritten text determination and language processing. In 2005 we could get some glimpses into future with self driven car concepts being presented for the first time. But after 2011 the Machine Learning took new leap with active support from the new age technologies from google, facebook and other digital giants. Deep Learning, which was the more sophisticated than machine learning, was developed with the aid of the new found advancements in Data Science and in Big Data. It took shape by further refining the concepts of Neural Networks with many hidden layers, for revealing the features needed for building in the intelligence. For instance for recognizing an unknown image accurately the Neural Network not only need to   interprete the bright and dark pixels but also has to discover the edges, the sides, the key aspects of the image like shapes, colours, contours etc, all being revealed by hundreds of features discovered through hands off between the layers. Further advancements took place through Convolutional Neural Network, Recurrent Neural Networks, Recursive Neural Network, Autoencoders, Deep Belief Networks and Generative Adversarial Networks or GANs. The Deep Reinforcement Learning following Markov Decision Process and Q Functions of Rewards for reaching a target also helped in bringing in needed sophistication and unraveled new use cases. The Python libraries development, Pytorch 2.0, Tensorflow, Sonnet etc. All Big corporations including google, microsoft, IBM and a host of other smaller companies are investing heavily in deep learning technologies. Deep Mind's Alphazero that in its previous avatar Alphago had created a sensation by winning in the game of Go against the world champion, IBM's Watson that won Jeopardy some years back are further encouraging corporates to look for newer business cases for AI adoption like Gaming.

So intelligence is building up slowly and deliberately, but so far the algorithms are all under human control. The end results may be exciting but building intelligence does not mean imparting consciousness. So what about the doomsday stories floating around, that AI will end the human supremacy, that in future robotics intelligence will control everything, that humans are creating their own versions of Frankenstein through advancements in artificial intelligence! Are these naysayers true about future? And what about the vexing problem of consciousness? Isn't intelligence a sign of consciousness itself which is ultimately nothing but a brain function (as per materialists).

We'll discuss in the next part.