06.24.09
Posted in AI / Singularity, Future, Technology, Transhumanism at 6:20 am by rheil
The AI Report
The Past, Present and Future of artificial Intelligence
„Can machines think? In 1950, Alan Turing, considered by some to be the father of modern computing, published a paper in which he proposed that, “If, during text-based conversation, a machine is indistinguishable from a human, then it could be said to be ‘thinking’ and, therefore, could be attributed with intelligence.” He predicted that a computer would pass this “Turing Test” by the end of the century. That hasn’t happened–yet. But the question continues to provoke and inspire. AI might be just around the corner, or it might be centuries away. Edited By Courtney Boyd Myers“ [read original article]
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06.21.09
Posted in Ethics, Politic, Transhumanism at 10:15 am by rheil
Obama Plans to Replace Bush’s Bioethics Panel
By NICHOLAS WADE, New York Times, Published: June 17, 2009
„Members of the President’s Council on Bioethics were told by the White House last week that their services were no longer needed and were asked to cancel a planned meeting, a council staff member said Wednesday.
The council was disbanded because it was designed by the Bush administration to be “a philosophically leaning advisory group” that favored discussion over developing a shared consensus, said Reid Cherlin, a White House press officer.
President Obama will appoint a new bioethics commission, one with a new mandate and that “offers practical policy options,” Mr. Cherlin said.“ [read original article]
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06.20.09
Posted in Ethics, Technology at 7:19 am by rheil
Plan to teach military robots the rules of war (NewScientist, 18.06.2009, Tom Simonite)
„Technology has always distanced the soldiers who use weapons from the people who get hit. But robotics engineer Ron Arkin at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, is working to imagine wars in which weapons make their own decisions about wielding lethal force.
He is particularly interested in how such machines might be programmed to act ethically, obeying the rules of engagement.
Arkin has developed an “ethical governor”, which aims to ensure that robot attack aircraft behave ethically in combat, and is demonstrating the system in simulations based on recent campaigns by US troops, using real maps from the Middle East.“ [read original article]
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06.05.09
Posted in Deutschsprachige Seiten, Organisations, Transhumanism at 11:02 am by rheil
Transhumanismus Schweiz
„Transhumanismus ist eine Denkrichtung und Bewegung, welche (wie der Humanismus im Mittelalter) der selbstbestimmten (Weiter)Entwicklung des Menschen grundsätzlich positiv gegenübersteht. Dabei werden insbesondere auch wissenschaftliche und technische Mittel erwogen.“ [zur webseite]
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Posted in Neuro, Technology, Transhumanism at 10:03 am by rheil
Reading the Surface of the Brain (Emily Singer, Technology Review 03.06.2009)
A startup aims to develop a minimally invasive neural prosthesis for disabled patients.
„A technology currently used to monitor epilepsy is being adapted into a neural interface for people who are paralyzed or have motor impairments from neurodegenerative disease. Neurolutions, a startup based in St. Louis, is developing a small, implanted device that translates signals recorded from the surface of the brain into computer commands.“ [read original article]
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06.03.09
Posted in biotech, Evolution / Genetics, Technology, Transhumanism at 8:08 am by rheil
ENGINEERING BIOLOGY – A Talk with Drew Endy (Edge)
„The only thing that hasn’t been engineered are the living things, ourselves. Again, what’s the consequence of doing that at scale? Biotechnology is 30 years old; it’s a young adult. Most of the work is still to come, but how do we actually do it? Let’s not talk about it, let’s actually go do it, and then let’s deal with the consequences in terms of how this is going to change ourselves, how the biosecurity framework needs to recognize that it’s not going to be nation-state driven work necessarily, how an ownership sharing and innovation framework needs to be developed that moves beyond patent-based intellectual property and recognizes that the information defining the genetic material’s going to be more important than the stuff itself and so you might transition away from patents to copyright and so on and so forth.“ [read original article]
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