It’s interesting that you mention Rodney Brooks. I’ve always found his work poorly written and lacking in clarity despite being sympathetic to his views. He must come across better in person. As Shane points out though, Brooks’ work has the rare quality in AI that it is productive and has found widespread application in industry.
As for the Venture Capitalists, I don’t find it surprising that Silicon Valley VCs share some of your interests. It’s like discovering that software engineers share an interest in AD&D and collectibles. All these guys are enthusiastic about evolutionary psychology and cognitive science and such. I wonder if your perception of competence is a product of the “keyword search” approach to assessing other people that you frequently apply here; if they mention “evolution” and “probability” enough they get to be smart.
It’s interesting that you mention Rodney Brooks. I’ve always found his work poorly written and lacking in clarity despite being sympathetic to his views. He must come across better in person. As Shane points out though, Brooks’ work has the rare quality in AI that it is productive and has found widespread application in industry.
As for the Venture Capitalists, I don’t find it surprising that Silicon Valley VCs share some of your interests. It’s like discovering that software engineers share an interest in AD&D and collectibles. All these guys are enthusiastic about evolutionary psychology and cognitive science and such. I wonder if your perception of competence is a product of the “keyword search” approach to assessing other people that you frequently apply here; if they mention “evolution” and “probability” enough they get to be smart.