October 3, 2009

SS09: Anders Sandberg "Whole Brain Emulation"

Benjamin Peterson is covering the Singularity Summit for Sentient Developments.

George covered neuroscientist Anders Sandberg's WBE (Whole Brain emulation) presentation during Convergence08. Anders is talking about the feasibility and paths to WBE.

"Whole Brain Emulation: feasibility, timescales and key challenges. Humans as existence proof for intelligent systems (so it can be done.) Why whole brain emulation? Exercise in forecasting, well defined problem, little understanding of intelligence needed, if it occurs it will likely be big (philo, scientific, economic, existential implications)


In order to emulate a brain we're going to need greater scanning capability:

• need enough resolution - rough consensus 5x5x50 nm resolution scanning

• need enough information

• need enough volume

• likely destructive" :[


Anders distinguishes WBE from mind-uploading ... maybe the wiki is misinformed?


"The step from mouse to man is 20 years in terms of brain emulation. First scan or simulate then computer power gradual emergence of emulation."


Lights up, Anders fields questions from the audience.

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4 comments:

  1. Arenamontanus11:28 AM

    My distinction between WBE and mind uploading is that I do not like to make claims that it would copy a mind. Yes, I do believe it WBE would imply MU (since I am a functionalist), but I am not willing to always do the philosophy of mind debate with my academic fellows whenever I open my mouth. Better to test whether mind is transferred by doing WBE once we have it.

    --Anders

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  2. Arenamontanus11:31 AM

    Note that my 20 year mouse-man time is based on the assumption that we spend the same amount on the mouse and man sim. Most likely the interest will perk up after the mouse, and in that case more money will make the step much shorter. Which is scary.

    In any case, the big headache will be doing the first complete emulation pipeline - scan, interpet, build model and simulate - and get a working result. Once that is done, it is all a matter of scaling things up.

    --Anders

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  3. al fin4:25 PM

    Scan, interpret, build model, and simulate . . . but no working result.

    Think of it as an iterative cycle that will have to be repeated many, many times before even minimal results.

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  4. Unknown1:12 PM

    "Humans as existence proof for intelligent systems (so it can be done.)"
    May I assume, that "it can be done" implies, it can be done by human beings? Well, then, here we go:
    Our Universe as existence proof for universes, so it can be done.
    You get it?

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