We haven't built a truly sentient artificial ntelligence system yet, like the Terminator or C-3PO -- you know, the kind of AI that scares Elon Musk and Stephen Hawking. But a team of researchers believe they've at least found the secret to creating human-like artificial brains. More specifically, they've discovered that optical fiber made from chalcogenides can create synapses to latch onto each other, just like what happens in our gray matter. Chalcogenide is a light-sensitive compound typically used to manufacture glass for photocopiers, and it allows the the fibers to process vast amounts of data.
See, while computers these days are becoming increasingly fast and powerful (take Watson, for example), the human brain is still a lot faster and more efficient. The researchers from the University of Southampton and the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore still have to find a way to combine multiple fibers to form an artificial neural network, but it's a start. If you're well-versed in scientific lingo, check out the scientists' paper published in Advanced Optical Materials for more technical details. And if the study scares you, you can follow in Musk's footsteps and support the research program, which aims to ensure that AI systems don't turn into evil masterminds that want to wipe out humanity.
Via: ExtremeTech
Source: Advance Optical Materials
from Engadget Full RSS Feed http://ift.tt/1F7uoif
