Technologies of consciousness include areas such as A.I., Neurology, Biofeedback, Thought Power, Mild Drugs and virtual reality as topics that will be the subject of higher-order concerns facing modern society. These topics are considered to be a level above intelligence and knowledge. Consciousness is the next great frontier in civilization’s progress because it exists beyond information, knowledge, and other forms of “rational” logic (Halal, 2008). Even more important, as the computing power of machines approach and perhaps surpass that of the human brain, machines configured with advanced artificial intelligence may develop the ability or capability to form a conscious.
The cortex of a mouse has approximately 8 X 106 neurons and 8000 synapses per neuron. A human brain is about 1000 times larger than the cortex of a mouse – research groups are rapidly approaching modeling of the human brain.
According to Velde (2009), there is potential for large-scale simulations of neural processes that may result in the generation of intelligence. Halal (2008) proposed that neuron behavior, in a technical sense, should not be as difficult to replicate because transistors can be configured to produce the same behavior. Recent research and discoveries in neuroscience are contributing to tremendous strides in brain modeling and brain mapping as well as various forms of artificial intelligence. In this respect, AI is not different from other sciences like physics, chemistry, astronomy and genetics. Each of these sciences became successful because (and often when) they focused on an understanding of the mechanisms underlying the phenomena and processes they study (Velde, 2009).
Sources
Halal, W. (2008). Technology's Promise. New York City: Palgrave MacMillan.
Velde, F. (2010). Where Artificial Intelligence and Neuroscience Meet: The Search for Grounded Architectures of Cognition. Advances in Artifical Intelligence , 1-18.
