Human Neurons and A.I.

If the brain is a computer and the mind its workings, is this a fitting analogy of the computer and its software? What would happen if we had dedicated computers with a huge number of neuron circuits? Would intelligence develop? Would we be able to understand it?

Human neurons became the subject of interest of many AI scientists especially when most of the used AI methods were starting to fail. Some methods were proving to be inefficient and slow in evolution, while others were being proven wrong.
Scientists interested in creating a human-brain similar system started exploring more on the idea of using neurons as a prototype to follow and extract basic elements of its success. Some suggested the invention of something similar chemically while others wanted to start by developing simulators.

However, lately the trend became to extract real neurons and try to integrate them with computer chips creating a new type of computer hardware “neuro-chips” (Than, 2006). This experiment was repeated in several labs including the Georgia Institute of Technology and University of Padua in Italy. (BBC, 1999)
Even though these attempts are still very primitive and need much enhancements and further experimentation in order to develop, however, it seems most of the efforts of the young researchers are being dedicated for such discovery. Does this mean that if we create a dedicated computer with huge number of neuron circuits that this computer will be more developed and intelligent?

Though still a controversial issue and nothing is proven yet in this sense, however, many analysts are starting to believe more and more in this approach since they are finding similarities between the human bodies in general and computers. Example: “When we talk about psychotropic drugs, we use similar metaphors—the brain as computer, a neuron as a single switch, the brain as wetware containing software”(WOLPE, n.d.).

In neural networks, the number of neuron circuits tested upon only reached “several hundreds, compared to the 10^12 neurons that our brain possesses.” (Lecture notes) The results though are encouraging; still it is rather early to start judging the effect of huge neuron circuits.

Moreover, supposing such impact is possible, lots of questions arise: will the computer then be smarter than humans? Will we be able to understand its logic?
Scientists tend to support indications that could help prove the possibility of computers overcoming the human brainpower like in the case of the famous challenge in Chess between the different companies’ computers and Gary Kasparov, the famous chess master. Whether Kasparov lost once or twice only means that in this game the computer was able at least to challenge the best minds in the field. Lots of other examples exist.
As for the question about understanding the computer logic, I believe it will be quiet hard not to understand logic we have created/programmed; that is of course unless more chemical or human body elements are introduced.

I would like to end this by saying that this topic was maybe the hardest to tackle. Lots of controversies exist and nothing is proven yet. Supporting any idea while neglecting another opposing one will only get you to half the truth. Time will only prove which ideas will prevail and if really computers will ever have some sort of intelligence.


References:

1. Than Ker (27 March 2006). Brain Cells Fused with Computer Chip
[online] available from: http://www.livescience.com/health/060327_neuro_chips.html

2. BBC News (June 2, 1999) Sci/Tech Biological computer born [online] Available from: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sci/tech/358822.stm
3. WOLPE PAUL ROOT (n.d.) Neurotechnology and Brain-Computer Interfaces- ETHICAL AND SOCIAL IMPLICATIONS [online] Available from:http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=11083&page=58