I came across a quote that caught my attention while reading an article about creating an artificial intelligence (AI) as fast as the human brain. A researcher on the project stated “One of the most exciting things about this project is that we are working on one of the great remaining achievements for human knowledge — understanding how the brain works at a fundamental level.”
Is this really one of the “great remaining achievements for human knowledge?” Physicist David Deutsch’s observation that no matter how much we learn we are always near the beginning of infinity is closer to the mark. The Lean thinker knows that no matter how much they improve, there will always be much more room for further improvement. Even if the researchers on this AI project succeed there will be many more, infinitely more, great achievements for human knowledge left to future generations.
And as for AI replacing those of us with mere human brains, if Siri is a harbinger of things to come, for now we needn’t worry.