science

Possible Minds

Possible Minds is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Possible Minds rather than just read about it. In short: Possible Minds: Twenty-five Ways of Looking at AI, edited by John Brockman, is a 2019 collection of essays on the future impact of artificial intelligence. Structure Twenty-five essayists contributed essays related to artificial intelligence (AI) pioneer Norbert Wiener's 1950 book The Human Use of Human Beings, in which Weiner, fearing future machines built from vacuum tubes and capable of sophisticated logic, warne…

Key takeaways

Possible Minds belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Possible Minds to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Possible Minds from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Possible Minds: Twenty-five Ways of Looking at AI, edited by John Brockman, is a 2019 collection of essays on the future impact of artificial intelligence.

Structure Twenty-five essayists contributed essays related to artificial intelligence (AI) pioneer Norbert Wiener's 1950 book The Human Use of Human Beings, in which Weiner, fearing future machines built from vacuum tubes and capable of sophisticated logic, warned that "The hour is very late, and the choice of good and evil knocks at our door. We must cease to kiss the whip that lashes us." Wiener stated that an AI "which can learn and can make decisions on the basis of its learning, will in no way be obliged to make such decisions as we should have made, or will be acceptable to us". The essayists seek to address the question: What dangers might advanced AI present to humankind? Prominent essayists include Daniel Dennett, Alison Gopnik, Jaan Tallinn, and George Dyson. Brockman interleaves his own intros and anecdotes between the contributors' essays.

Ideas Multiple essayists state that artificial general intelligence is still two to four decades away. Most of the essayists advice proceeding with caution. Hypothetical dangers discussed include societal fragmentation, loss of human jobs, dominance of multinational corporations with powerful AI, or existential risk if superintelligent machines develop a drive for self-preservation. Computer scientist W. Daniel Hillis states "Humans might be seen as minor annoyances, like ants at a picnic". Some essayists argue that AI has already become an integral part of human culture; geneticist George M. Church suggests that modern human are already "transhumans" when compared with humans in the Stone Age. Many of the essays are influenced by past failures of AI. MIT's Neil Gershenfeld states "Discussions about artificial intelligence have been (manic-depressive): depending on how you count, we're now in the fifth boom-and-bust cycle." Brockman states "over the decades I rode with (the AI pioneers) on waves of enthusiasm, and into valleys of disappointment". Many essayists emphasize the limitations of past and current AI; Church notes that 2011 Jeopardy! champion Watson required 85,000 watts of power, compared to a human brain which uses 20 watts.

Reception Kirkus Reviews stated readers who want to ponder the future impact of AI "will not find a better introduction than this book." Publishers Weekly called the book "enlightening, entertaining, and exciting reading". Future Perfect (Vox) wrote about Possible Minds and Architects of Intelligence that "both books make for gripping reading". Booklist stated the book includes "many rich ideas" to "savor and contemplate". In Foreign Affairs, technology journalist Kenneth Cukier called the book "a fascinating map".

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Possible Minds

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Possible Minds claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Possible Minds before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Possible Minds ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Possible Minds

In research: Possible Minds appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Possible Minds in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Possible Minds is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 2019 non-fiction books, Books by John Brockman, Non-fiction books about artificial intelligence, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Possible Minds outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Possible Minds in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Possible Minds means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Possible Minds out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Possible Minds in simple terms?

Possible Minds: Twenty-five Ways of Looking at AI, edited by John Brockman, is a 2019 collection of essays on the future impact of artificial intelligence. Structure Twenty-five essayists contributed essays related to artificial intelligence (AI) pioneer Norbert Wiener's 1950 book The Human Use of…

Why does Possible Minds matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Possible Minds?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Possible Minds.