A higher quality intelligence than us might, among other things, use better heuristics and more difficult analytical concepts than we can, recognize more complex relationships than we can, evaluate its expected utility in a more consistent and unbiased manner than we can, envision more deeply nested plans and contingencies than we can, possess more control over the manner in which it thinks than we can, and so on.
A more general intelligence than us might simply have more hardware dedicated to general computation, regardless of what it does with that general ability.
I am trying to turn this concept of Quality Intelligence into something more precise.
Here are some items from history which most people will think of as improvements in quality intelligence.
I am thinking about quality with the context of collective intelligence. The concept of AGI = the intelligence of a single human I do not find useful for predicting a recursively improving system, for reasons we can look at later.
Development of symbolic language from pictographs
Development of the number zero
Development of set theory
Invention of calculus
Development of Newton’s method for approximating functions
Invention of Bayes’ Rule
Matrix theory
Closed-form solutions to many kinnds of partial differential equations
Procedural programming languages
Approximations to vast numbers of functions using Newton’s method on computers (Quality or Quantity?)
These are advances in reasoning and improve intelligence quality.
I am not sure whether to chalk up the following to advances in quality intelligence, or not:
Formulation of gravity
Development of the periodic table
General relativity
Demonstration of nuclear fission
Development of the transistor
Discovery of DNA
Development of the microprocessor (Quality or quantity, or both?)
Mechanisms of transcription and translation within the cell.
Certainly, figuring all of these things out about the real world advanced our ability to solve practical problems. I am inclined to consider the distinction between them and the discoveries in logic, computer programming and applied math somewhat arbitrary.
A higher quality intelligence than us might, among other things, use better heuristics and more difficult analytical concepts than we can, recognize more complex relationships than we can, evaluate its expected utility in a more consistent and unbiased manner than we can, envision more deeply nested plans and contingencies than we can, possess more control over the manner in which it thinks than we can, and so on.
A more general intelligence than us might simply have more hardware dedicated to general computation, regardless of what it does with that general ability.
I am trying to turn this concept of Quality Intelligence into something more precise.
Here are some items from history which most people will think of as improvements in quality intelligence.
I am thinking about quality with the context of collective intelligence. The concept of AGI = the intelligence of a single human I do not find useful for predicting a recursively improving system, for reasons we can look at later.
Development of symbolic language from pictographs Development of the number zero Development of set theory Invention of calculus Development of Newton’s method for approximating functions Invention of Bayes’ Rule Matrix theory Closed-form solutions to many kinnds of partial differential equations Procedural programming languages Approximations to vast numbers of functions using Newton’s method on computers (Quality or Quantity?) These are advances in reasoning and improve intelligence quality.
I am not sure whether to chalk up the following to advances in quality intelligence, or not: Formulation of gravity Development of the periodic table General relativity Demonstration of nuclear fission Development of the transistor Discovery of DNA Development of the microprocessor (Quality or quantity, or both?) Mechanisms of transcription and translation within the cell.
Certainly, figuring all of these things out about the real world advanced our ability to solve practical problems. I am inclined to consider the distinction between them and the discoveries in logic, computer programming and applied math somewhat arbitrary.