[Robotgroup] Can Animals and Robots Be Self-Aware?

[Def Egge]

At 14:29  2007-04-22, you wrote:
>Def Egge wrote:
> > Science: Can Animals and Robots Be Self-Aware?
> > By Sharon Begley, Newsweek
> > URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18108859/site/newsweek/
>
>Mike,
>
>I just got a chance to read this. Fasinating look at biological thought
>process, but how do "robots" or AI fit into this? The article just seems
>to say "a circuit could do this process as well and not be "thinking"..?
>
>Vern

I'd say that was the point.  Biological entities 
do 'X' and it is considered thought, evidence of 
self-awareness, and consciousness; however, if a 
non-biological entity should also do 'X' it is 
none of the above.  At what point do emergent 
properties of hierarchical order elevate one from 
the mundane to the intelligent?

And yet, see the very next paragraph:

"Funny they should mention circuits. After 
decades in which metacognition was written off by 
many researchers in artificial intelligence, it 
is getting serious attention, says Michael Cox of 
BBN Technologies. There are now computer systems 
that can reason about what went wrong in a 
calculation and consider whether to continue on 
their current path to a solution or switch to a 
new strategy­both of which, if a person did them, 
we would call introspection and self-awareness. 
Next month an AI conference in Hawaii will 
feature a dozen studies on introspective 
machines. "I don't think there is an inherent 
barrier to self-understanding on the part of 
machines," says Cox. "There is nothing magical, 
mystical, spiritual or uniquely human about introspection and metacognition."

Inquiring minds want to know....


All the best....

Mike