Tania Lombrozo explores how advancements in technology, particularly thinking machines, have shaped our understanding of thinking itself. She begins by highlighting the shift from mechanical machines to digital devices and how this transformation has affected our perception of machines. Lombrozo delves into the question of whether machines can be considered as thinking entities. She points … Read more

Gerd Gigerenzer explores the potential benefits of using robodoctors (RDs) in healthcare. He begins by highlighting some of the shortcomings in the current healthcare system, particularly in fee-for-service models where doctors have limited time for patients, often lack statistical understanding, and face conflicts of interest. These issues can lead to unnecessary medical tests and treatments, … Read more

Bruce Schneier explores the complex issue of responsibility and accountability when machines, particularly thinking machines, break the law. He illustrates the problem with an example involving a Random Botnot Shopper, an automated program that purchased items from an anonymous Internet black market for an art project. While most of the purchases were benign, the bot … Read more

Kurt Gray explores the moral implications of thinking machines in the context of destruction and blame. He starts by acknowledging that machines have long been used as tools of destruction, with humans ultimately held morally accountable for their operation. The responsibility falls on the person who wields the machine, whether it’s a gun or a … Read more

Samuel Arbesman reflects on the potential emergence of machines that can think on par with or surpass human intelligence and how society might respond to this development. He acknowledges that while machines may become highly intelligent, they may not exhibit self-awareness or sentience in the way humans do. Arbesman suggests that as long as humans … Read more

Richard E. Nisbett reflects on the impact of computers and machines on human existence, particularly in the context of machines excelling in tasks traditionally performed by humans. He recalls a past presentation where a computer scientist posed the question of what it would mean to humans if computers could surpass humans in various fields such … Read more

Chris Anderson discusses the unique human superpower of thinking and the potential implications of building machines that possess this superpower to a greater extent. He questions whether, in 1,000 years, Homo sapiens will still be the dominant intelligent force on Earth or if they will become a historical footnote that birthed intelligence. Anderson acknowledges human … Read more

Neil Gershenfeld offers a perspective on the discussion surrounding artificial intelligence (AI). He highlights the extremes in arguments about AI, which he sees as a sign of the evolving nature of the debate. Gershenfeld explains that disruptive technologies often start as exponentials, with gradual growth initially, but eventually reaching a point where the exponential growth … Read more

George Dyson provides a perspective on artificial intelligence and its relationship with thinking. He argues that no individual, deterministic machine, no matter how universal, will ever truly think as humans do. He emphasizes that genuine creative and intuitive thinking involves non-deterministic machines that can make mistakes, abandon logic, and learn. Dyson introduces the idea of … Read more

Kevin Kelly emphasizes the importance of recognizing that machines designed to think will not replicate human thinking but will possess their own unique forms of intelligence. He points out that human intelligence is just one type of intelligence among many possible in the universe, and we shouldn’t limit our understanding of AI to mimicking human … Read more