“How to create a mind” Ray Kurtzweil

 „We are capable of hierarchical thinking, of understanding a structure composed of diverse elements arranged in a pattern, representing that arrangement with a symbol, and then using that symbol as an element in a yet more elaborate configuration. We are able to call these pattern ideas. We call this vast array of recursively linked ideas knowledge.“ R. Kurtzweil 

The quote from Kurtzweil's books does not seem too simple. Kurtzweil, however is on a quest to simplify the description of how the brain works. He calls this the “most important effort in the history of the human-machine civilization“. His aim is to translate the neuroscience into programming of an artificial brain.

When reading the book I was mainly looking for information about how the brain works:
- Neocortex (the "new brain") consists of “lego blocks” that recognize patterns. There are lower level patterns that make sense of the simple things, and higher level patterns that represent abstract concepts. Information is interlinked. Parts of letters are linked to letters, are linked to words, are linked to concepts etc.

- The sound, visual and touch recognition happens in same pattern. Every pattern recogniser is working simultaneously. Thought process “awakes” millions of pattern recognizers, and each pattern would be a list of millions of other patterns and so one until the lowest level of patterns.The thought is not one single pattern, it’s an area of patterns, because we memorise it together with many other information and may use many patterns that are already there. Human brain can learn from its own experience and progamme itself: “You are what you think”.

- Neocortex works in linear way. We are not able to think abstract thoughts before the lower level blocks are there. We have to create connections between knowledge, all knowledge is not connected to all knowledge. Memories are sequential. They can be accessed in the order that they are remembered. Eg you can not start playing a piano piece in a reversed order if you haven't practiced that.

- Information is “read” from the brain with the help of language patterns. We do not record sounds, images, videos. We recreate them. Brain is incoherent, because we can not memorise anything as it is (unless learn by heart). With the help of language patterns we translate our memories into words afterword.

- Parts of neocortex can replace damaged areas. However, certain areas are better prepared for storing specific information and we can learn quicker. There is learning from thousands of humans before us stored in our DNA. This also true with animals eg rat builds a nest even if she has never seen another rat in her lifetime.

- Neocortex (good at solving problems like survival, reproduction, fear and pleasure) interacts with the “old brain” (is seeking gratification and avoiding danger), together coordinating our body and emotional capabilities. Neocortex has a role in emotions as well and can be ran over by the emotions.

- We are largely determined by the chemicals in our brains eg oxytocin and vasopressin (hormones) make us monogamous, maybe to provide possibility of stable environment for our children to develop neocortex. Eg falling in love - dopamine is released producing feelings of happiness; norepinephrine levels soar leading to a racing heart; these chemicals and phenylethylamine produce elation, lead to high energy levels, focused attention, loss of appetite, general craving for the object of desire.

- Consciousness is a result of our brain activity, not a place in our brain. Kurtzweil claims that consciousness is a result of complex system like brain. Patients with no links between the two hemispheres seem to have two different consciousness’s.

- The Web works similarly to brain, however all info can be connected to all info and not forgotten. Computer/web is a complex physical system and therefore can gain consciousness. Human-machine merges are inevitable by 2030, because of our lack of computing power of our brains. And will take place with the help of non-invasive nanotechnology.

- In the field of creating an artificial brain there seems to be more questions than answers: Whether to progamme the brain or make a structure that can learn itself? Teach a brain from the start, by giving feedback or make somebody’s brain scan and use it to develop further? How to overcome the unsolvable problems eg a computer can answer based on the info from the past, but cannot create new answers (Turings theorem).

More illustrations, shorter sentences would have made the reading more pleasurable. Otherwise enjoyed the story about limits and possibilities of our “little grey cells”.

Ray Kurtzweil “How to create a mind” (2012)