Side note: I keep seeing a bizarre assumption (which I can only assume is a Hollywood trope) from a lot of people here that even a merely human-level AI would automatically be awesome at dealing with software just because they’re made of software. (like how humans are automatically experts in advanced genetic engineering just because we’re made of DNA)
Not “just because they’re made of software”—but because there are many useful things that a computer is already better than a human at (notably, vastly greater “working memory”), so a human-level AI can be expected to have those and whatever humans can do now. And a programmer who could easily do things like “check all lines of code to see if they seem like they can be used”, or systematically checking from where a function could be called, or “annotating” each variable, function or class by why it exists … all things that a human programmer could do, but that either require a lot of working memory, or are mind-numblingly boring.
Good points. However, keep in mind that humans can also use software to do boring jobs that require less-than-human intelligence. If we were near human-level AI, there may by then be narrow-AI programs that help with the items you describe.
it depends how your AI is implemented, perhaps it will turn out that the first human level AI’s are simply massive ANN’s of some kind. Such an AI might have human equivalent working memory and have to do the equivalent of making notes outside of it’s own mind just as we do.
Given how very very far we are from that level of AI we might very well see actual brain enhancements similar to this only for humans first which could leave us on a much for even footing with the AI’s:
The device can mimic the brain’s own neural signals, thereby serving as a surrogate for a piece of the brain associated with forming memories. If there is sufficient neural activity to trace, the device can restore memories after they have been lost. If it’s used with a normal, functioning hippocampus, the device can even enhance memory.
Not “just because they’re made of software”—but because there are many useful things that a computer is already better than a human at (notably, vastly greater “working memory”), so a human-level AI can be expected to have those and whatever humans can do now. And a programmer who could easily do things like “check all lines of code to see if they seem like they can be used”, or systematically checking from where a function could be called, or “annotating” each variable, function or class by why it exists … all things that a human programmer could do, but that either require a lot of working memory, or are mind-numblingly boring.
Good points. However, keep in mind that humans can also use software to do boring jobs that require less-than-human intelligence. If we were near human-level AI, there may by then be narrow-AI programs that help with the items you describe.
it depends how your AI is implemented, perhaps it will turn out that the first human level AI’s are simply massive ANN’s of some kind. Such an AI might have human equivalent working memory and have to do the equivalent of making notes outside of it’s own mind just as we do.
Given how very very far we are from that level of AI we might very well see actual brain enhancements similar to this only for humans first which could leave us on a much for even footing with the AI’s:
http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2011-06/artificial-memory-chip-rats-can-remember-and-forget-touch-button