the very purpose of having a memory may be to project it into the future.
MRI scans have shown that when we arrange to perform a task, we access and incorporate previous memories of that same task, which make our plans more realistic. One theory states that animals don’t have a sophisticated memory system because they rely on instinct and therefore don’t require the ability to envision the future. In other words, the very purpose of having a memory may be to project it into the future.
Within this framework, we can now define self-awareness, which can be understood as the ability to put ourselves inside a simulation of the future, consistent with a goal. When we apply this theory to machines, we see that our best machines at present are on the lowest rung of Level 1 consciousness, based on their ability to locate their position in space. Most, like those built for th the DARPA Robotics Challenge, can barely navigate around an empty room. There are some robots that can partially simulate the future, such as Google’s DeepMind computer, but only in an extremely narrow direction. If you ask DeepMind to accomplish anything other than a Go game, it freezes up.
How much further do we have to go, and what are the steps we will have to take, to achieve a self-aware machine like The Terminator’s Skynet?
