Lab comes one step closer to building artificial human brain

Lab comes one step closer to building artificial human brain

www.blacklistednews.com

In a laboratory in Switzerland, a group of neuroscientists is developing a mammalian brain - in silicon. The researchers at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), in collaboration with IBM, have just completed the first phase of an ambitious project to reproduce a fully functioning brain on a supercomputer. By strange coincidence, their lab happens to lie on the same shores of Lake Geneva where Mary Shelley dreamt up her creation, Dr Frankenstein.

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I had to include the image of the computer model of a single neocortical column from a rat's brain. Thought it was cool. Imagine the possibilities with this. Actually creating a fully functioning human brains. The next thing to do is figure out how to transplant them. I wonder if they can make the brain pre-programmed to think and act the way they want? Interesting to see that IBM is involved with this too.

www.blacklistednews.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

[edit on 12/22/2007 by palehorse23]

[edit on 12/22/2007 by palehorse23]

these people are scumbags as far as i'm concerned. i'd like them to die.

reply to post by palehorse23


building a human intelligence like brain would be both cruel and dangerous----cruel to trap an entity in a jar and dangerous if it realizes what we have done to it--especially if it has connections to other computer controls---how slow do you think it would be to suicide itself by sending the commands to start a nuclear war?and if one of our genius scientists put that brain into a robo-cop /terminator robot do you really think we'd win that war without the help of the Watchers ?

Originally posted by tetragrammation
these people are scumbags as far as i'm concerned. i'd like them to die.

I agree that they need to moderate themselves very strictly and carefully. (This whole project seems disturbingly egotistical -- maybe it is just the way the article was written.)

Your point is understood. However, I personally would prefer that these scientists DID NOT DIE for their efforts. (That's just me speaking, of course.)

#

I believe this article is hype. It implies that the neocortex is the most essential part of the human brain, when it is not. We don't really understand what most of the structures in the brain are for. So I can't imagine that these researchers are anywhere close to answering that question.

The operation of the neocortex structure is fairly simple. We have known about neural networks, and their ability to match patterns, for twenty years now.

To me, it is a bit like this: after years of research and reverse engineering of a car engine -- someone announces they finally have made a working spark plug! If only they could determine what that "gasoline" stuff is for! And the air filter! Then, they would have the secrets of the internal combustion engine at hand.

We are still a long ways off from true AI, in my opinion. We may be one step closer to doing that, but it is a very tiny and trivial step.

Guess what IBM will be using the perfected version of this for?

Thats right folks-these brains will be what the elite will use to download their consciousness into when they are on their natural deathbeds.
By the time they are able to do this,adding the brain to a fully grown amped clone will seem like childs play.
As the poor masses will not be able to afford such technologies,we will just turn into a sub human race dominated by evil super beings of great power and darkness.

The other thing they will do is have many of these brains set up in a way that they can instantly "download" any persons real time consciousness(without that person knowing its happening).Thoughts can then be analyzed,manipulated,diverted to whatever the controllers want us to think,feel and see.
The ultimate control tool for the future global government.

Mark my words.I am not kidding.

IMHO,of course...
Flagged.

Originally posted by Silcone Synapse
Mark my words. I am not kidding.

If we get to that point, I am absolutely sure there will be a lot of people wanting to do what you describe above. I think your post is a very worthwhile, cautionary statement. We should be vigilant.

I am in the process of reading "Kiln People" by David Brin. (This author also also wrote "The Postman", which formed the basis of the movie starring Kevin Costner)

David Brin paints a very dismal picture of human nature -- he projects a time when people are perfectly happy to make slaves out of images of their own consciousnesses, and abuse these slaves horrifically. (I haven't finished this book yet, so please no spoilers!)

This whole idea reeks of egotism -- bordering on egomania -- on the part of these researchers. Think of all the people, behind the scenes, who are avidly watching and encouraging this type of research. What are they contemplating?

reply to post by Buck Division

Think of all the people, behind the scenes, who are avidly watching and encouraging this type of research. What are they contemplating?

that is the million dollar question. The the we need to know is what the ultimate outcome will be for this artificial brain. The intentions behind it and what IBM gets out of the deal. They can't be a part of this just to have their name attached.

I actually think this is wonderful.

Face it, the human race is limited. If we create a new form of life in our own image, how is that not part of our own race? It's just another variant of ourselves... an improved version. Our successor.

It's been a dream of mine for human kind to create a better version of itself. This one won't have the need to feed off of animals, it would have a much better chance of co-existing with other species as it is not a part of the food chain at all, and would be far better at exploring space than we could ever dream of doing.

Every generation of children is different from the last. Each carries an upgrade of one form or another. How would this variant be much different from a new generation born with greater mental capacity?

I say go for it. We need a new variant of human... we can't allow our race to be confined to this parasitic existence forever.

reply to post by johnsky


We should certainly be looking into this type of research, and certainly it'd be expected for us to be selfish and wish it comes within our life time so that we could benefit from it. The problem is, unless our relations towards each other changes drastically during our life time, it will be incredibly dangerous for this technological advancement to be made available to anyone.

reply to post by UnbiasedObservations


That is right. It does sound like great research johnsky, but as with all of the other technologies and advancements, it has the potential to fall into the wrong hands and can be used not for the good of mankind but for the bad. We have to place a lot of faith in the people doing this work, and I for one am not quite ready to do that. We need to fix our current selves before we just quit and make a new race.
Check out my other thread related to "brain building" so to speak.
www.abovetopsecret.com...

[edit on 12/22/2007 by palehorse23]

reply to post by palehorse23


Thing is palehorse,the system is now geared so that ALL research and Inventions are now screened by the military industrial complex.

Whereas at one point there may have only been the potential for such inventions to fall into the hands of darkness and black operations,now its a certainty...IMHO.

Originally posted by Silcone Synapse
Thing is palehorse,the system is now geared so that ALL research and Inventions are now screened by the military industrial complex.

Where did you hear that?

There were old laws which made any inventions with potential military applications freely usable by the US government as far back as 1918.(which also stopped the original creators from using/manufacturing their own designs.
One such bill was the "naval appropriations bill"from that year.

NEW LAWS HAMPER INVENTORS HERE; Make War Devices Government Property, in Effect, and Compensation Hard to Get.

query.nytimes.com...

The full article is a PDF file which can be viewed at the above link,and it details how the Government can basically steal whatever patents they want for war related matters.

I am sure there is a similar but much more recent law which lets pretty much any patent to be used by governments in the US,and I think we in the UK have a similar law,but I can't find the link right now.
I'll keep looking later.

reply to post by Silcone Synapse


I have heard that as well. All patents have to be granted by the government anyways don't they? If so, then they in turn I assume would have the right to any inventions that have potential military or government use. Maybe this is why they collaborate with so many companies on research and development of such projects.

reply to post by palehorse23


Its Reason, You and I can REASON, think and refused to do things, Will this be taught, The lessens of the Movie A.I. With reason comes understand and you know: LOVE

reply to post by palehorse23


Its Reason, You and I can REASON, think and refused to do things, Will this be taught, The lessens of the Movie A.I. With reason comes understand and you know: LOVE

reply to post by bone13


That is the true question, What can these artificial brains be pre taught? Can pre-existing ideas be put into these brains? If they can, we can be in for some crazy A.I.s walking around.

i think this is a great idea. of course ethics will be a major concern, and to be honest, we all know that military black projects are far ahead of what WE are getting as the secondary end product. in reality, there is probably already a brain that is in full operation working well.

we've been working on biological computing for several years now, and i personally look forward to using said platform when its ready, being many times faster than mechanical hardware we use today.

what was the quote a read recently, "a single neuro network in a gold fish's brain is able to process way more information than today's super computer".

what if it wasn't conscious, but rather a really good robot tool to use. like being used in monitoring stations with thousands of nodes - something we couldn't digest as humans fulfilling the part? what if it was crash-proof? it could be a great tool where WE fail as humans, it could make unbiased decisions.

the down side: politics and military interest. the upside, an advanced society of well intended actions.

Its inevitable that one day if you have enough money you will be able to live forever.

The implications for this are terrifying , i just pray that the redshields of this world are long since dead before this technology becomes available.