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Hybrid Thinking: a way for humans?
DukeRem14 February 2023
In 2014, Ray Kurzweil, engineer, computer scientist and futurologist gave a Ted talk on a topic that is very topical today; the possibility of a human being to 'rival' an AI. He argued that within a few years, AI would catch up with us (the concept of the singularity, which he referred to in his 2005 book 'The Singularity is Near'). At that point, according to him, the only chance for humans to rival will be to have what he called 'hybrid thinking'. This is the possibility of putting some kind of artificial processor, a kind of coprocessor, next to our brain.
Here is a summary of the Kurzweil's talk I have prepared for you.
The neocortex, a thin layer around the brain that can generate new behaviors, evolved in early mammals about 200 million years ago. In the past, non-mammalian animals had fixed behaviors, but mammals can learn new behaviors through their neocortex. The neocortex evolved quickly in mammals and grew in size and complexity, with convolutions and ridges, which allowed it to increase its surface area. The neocortex is where we do our thinking, and it sublimates our basic drives and motivations. Our brains have about 300 million modules that create hierarchies in our thinking, and we organize information in these modules that are more abstract as they go higher. These modules are responsible for recognizing patterns, and the information flows down and up the hierarchy. With advances in neuroscience, we can now see individual interneural connections in real-time and the brain creating thoughts.
Computer algorithms that mimic the hierarchical structure of the brain's neocortex are allowing computers to understand human language with more nuance. The neocortex operates via a system of modules that communicate with each other, with lower levels able to influence the way higher levels operate. Search engines of the future will be based on a system that reads and understands billions of pages of information, not simply looking for keyword combinations. In the future, it may be possible to connect a synthetic neocortex in the cloud directly to the human brain, creating a hybrid of biological and non-biological thinking. This would allow a significant expansion of human intelligence.
In 20 years, we will have nanobots that can connect our neocortex to a synthetic neocortex in the cloud, allowing us to expand our thinking capabilities. Today, we can access thousands of computers in the cloud for a few seconds if needed. In the 2030s, we will be able to connect to the cloud directly from our brain. Our thinking will be a mix of biological and non-biological. The non-biological part will grow exponentially. This expansion of neocortex will be like when we became humanoids and developed large foreheads. We will advance language, art, science, and technology beyond anything any other species has achieved. Our neocortex will be expanded without limit, enabling another qualitative leap in culture and technology.
If you wish, you can watch the talk in the following video:
https://www.ted.com/talks/ray_kurzweil_get_ready_for_hybrid_thinking?language=en
