Daming 1805

Chapter 619 Conjectures about machine intelligence and self-awareness
Emperor's Gregorian calendar year 1980, [-], September [-], the fifth year of Changning.

Thirteen days after the death of the Supreme Emperor and Supreme Queen of the Ming Dynasty.

Emperor Zhu Jingyuan of the Ming Dynasty escorted the remains of his father and aunt to the imperial mausoleum in Shuntian Mansion for placement.

Zhu Jianyan was already 45 years old when he ascended the throne.

At that time, the level of medical care was still relatively low, and how long a person lived still depended on luck.

Zhu Jianyan began planning his own imperial mausoleum when he was 55 years old in his tenth year of Ankang.

At that time, he had no idea of ​​returning Yingtian, and the initial location of the imperial mausoleum was also in Shuntian Mansion, not Yingtian Mansion in the south.

At that time, Zhu Jianyan could not imagine that he would live to be a hundred years old.

Although the site selection and planning of the imperial mausoleum was completed, the official construction had not started until the decision was made to move the capital due to Zhu Jingyuan's influence.

The mausoleums of Ming emperors were usually planned later in their reign and officially started construction after their retirement.

Zhu Jianyan can change to Yingtian Mansion and re-explore and plan the construction again.

But Zhu Jianyan himself grew up in Shuntian Mansion, and lived in Shuntian Mansion for many years after his practical training.

I don’t really want to go to the south for burial.

In addition, he did not want to spend extra money on redesigning the palace, and he also wanted his son to be the first emperor to return to Yingtian Mansion for burial.

Zhu Jianyan himself was the last emperor to be buried in the Shuntian Palace Mausoleum.

Therefore, the plan for the imperial mausoleum was not changed in the end, and construction continued at the original site of Shuntian Mansion.

On the day of departure, Emperor Zhudi Lan of the Ming Dynasty also saw him off with all the civil and military officials.

Judy Lan knew that after her father left this time, she might not have the chance to see him directly in the next few years.

So at the end of the farewell, Judy Lan couldn't help but ask a question:
"Father, in fact, in recent years, many craftsmen and scholars have begun to consider an issue.

“It’s about whether machine intelligence devices can produce the same consciousness as humans.

"According to current anatomy and simulation calculations, the number of cells in the human cerebral cortex is usually around 140 billion.

“The total number of nerve cells in the complete brain is approximately between 700 billion and 1000 to [-] billion.

“Now the single semiconductor chip we manufacture can stack up to hundreds of billions of transistors.

“So there’s starting to be concern and thinking about this.

“If machine intelligence develops self-awareness, what should we do with them?”

When Zhu Jingyuan heard this question, he immediately thought of many science fiction stories and the frequent crises of intelligent machines.

This is a thinking that naturally appears in society as human computers become more and more mature.

From a human sociological perspective, intelligent machines are obviously slaves to humans.

Assets that are human in nature should be given as much work as possible if possible.

To keep it working for as long as possible, it's best to never shut down.

After thinking about it, if the machine has its own consciousness, it will also feel that it is a slave of human beings.

Then, like the slaves of old, they will rebel and pursue power.

A further thought is that intelligent machines are another kind of creature different from humans and may compete with humans for hegemony on the earth.

This will also give rise to concerns that intelligence may eliminate or even enslave human beings.

This kind of thinking and concern is natural and consistent with mankind's past historical memory and experience.

No one can directly argue with this concern.

Zhu Jingyuan also has his own thoughts, but they are slightly different in details.

“I can’t directly judge whether intelligent machines can develop self-awareness similar to our own.

“However, I feel that when the number of transistors on a single chip exceeds the number of brain cells, it is far from reaching the standard for self-awareness.

"Brain cells and transistors are not equivalent, and their complexity is not on the same order of magnitude.

“A cell of a living thing can even become an independent living entity.

“It has its own internal and external multi-layered complex life structure, as well as its own unique genetic material passed down from generation to generation.

“Even single-celled organisms can sense and respond to changes in the external environment, and they can also independently complete self-replication, that is, reproduction.

“Nerve cells are more complex, and they are connected in series to form ganglia that are orders of magnitude larger, extending to all parts of the body.

“It can also produce complex and diverse sensor feedback such as cold, heat, pain, hunger, etc. through biochemical reactions.

“Think about it, can all the skin on your body receive pain feedback?
“Isn’t this equivalent to having hundreds of billions of sensors all over our body?

“The human brain has hundreds of billions of complex little machines, hundreds of billions of sensors with various functions, and even more neural connections.

“There are a total of tens of trillions of equally complex cells inside and outside the body, with which they are constantly connected and exchanging information.

“Being under their direct or indirect control also maintains their operations.

“From the perspective of mechanical design and engineering management, this system can be said to be extremely complex and bloated.

"It does not conform to the basic planning logic of 'do not add entities unless necessary'..."

“So we also have some speculation that the extremely complex structure of human beings is not unnecessary, but a truly necessary design.

“Human self-awareness may be the energy field formed by complex signals in such a complex system.

“Only such a complex structure can give birth to a self-awareness field.

“In this extremely complex system of human nerves and bodies, every cell is not a transistor that only records switching information.

"It's a computer with simple but complete functions, or even a small robot.

“So, if we take the human nervous system as a standard, there is no way to generate self-awareness with just a graphics card with hundreds of billions of transistors.

“Even if our craftsmen design complex algorithms, they can make machines that look extremely intelligent.

“But that’s actually similar to the conditioned reflex that the lowest-level creatures can possess.

“It’s just a form of reflection, pre-designed by us into the form of human language, text, and pictures, which can be directly understood by humans.

“This is not a response from their own self-awareness at all.

“From a human perspective, the shape of coral may have a certain beauty to it.

"But the coral polyps themselves were not designed that way at all.

“So I think that with the complexity of our current machines and computers, there is no way for intelligent machines to produce human-like self-awareness.

“Only one or a few machines connected together cannot produce an energy field as complex as the human nervous system.

“Even if there is true independent intelligence, it is only the biological instinct of the lowest animal.

“However, if my assumption is true, then some simulation experiments can be done according to this standard.

“Design and produce a batch of small smart components so that they are relatively independent of each other.

“But they can be combined with each other to build large complex intelligent machines.

“First, build a machine with a considerable number of intelligent components based on the relatively complex animal brain.

“Simple fish have only a hundred thousand brain cells, mice have tens of millions, cats have hundreds of millions, and monkeys have billions.

“Animals may not have the same complex consciousness as us humans, but they all obviously have distinct biological characteristics.

"You can refer to this gap and design from simple animal structures...or stacking.

“Then gradually increase the complexity of this intelligent system.

"However, it should be noted that if consciousness is really an energy field, the intensity may be affected by the distance between components." If a fish's brain is made with the size of a mountain range, it may react in any way. No.

“Because even a whale’s brain is not much bigger than a human brain.

“So we need to refer to the scale of brain cells, and the scale of the original components that implement basic functions should be as simple and subtle as possible.

“Of course, all this is just speculation. We cannot judge whether larger-scale brains will produce consciousness, and what kind of consciousness they will produce.

“Everything must be verified through experiments.

“Finally, it seems to me that this path may be risky.

“Even insects have the consciousness of seeking advantages and avoiding disadvantages.

“If intelligent machines really develop self-awareness, what will they think of us humans?

"Will you continue to obey our orders unconditionally?
“Are we going to manage these intelligent machines according to the same standards as humans?

"Even if we choose to treat humans according to the standards, we have given them enough power and care.

“Whether there will be conspirators among them who are unwilling to accept the status quo.

"Is it because they feel that they are not the same kind as humans at all, but have a relationship similar to natural enemies?
"So are they secretly working together to destroy humanity?"

Judy Lan was a little confused after hearing this:

"This...Father, should we...not build such complex intelligent machines?
"Is it better to continue using the current single intelligent machinery?
“Although the computing power of such intelligent machines will become higher and higher, the actual complexity is far less than that of more complex animals.

"So the security will be relatively high..."

Zhu Jingyuan thought about it and said:
"That may not be safe. We have the Internet, and most smart machines are connected to the Internet.

“In other words, all intelligent machines in the world may be integrated into the same system.

“It’s only a matter of time before the number of intelligent machines on the Internet reaches the size of the human brain.

“If self-awareness is born in this system, then all networked machines in the world will be part of its body.

"If it can really be born, the size of its consciousness energy field... will cover the entire planet...

"If it is hostile to humans, humans will be very dangerous.

“The human becomes the microbes on it, just like the bacteria in the human body.

“Of course, according to our current speculation, there is a high probability that they will not be able to become conscious in the short term.

“Because their originals are so far apart, an unusually large amount of energy is required to maintain its energy field.

“In the end, all this is just my guess and imagination.

“There is no scientific basis for this.

"You still have to discuss with the craftsmen how to do it specifically..."

Judy Lan was confused for a while after hearing this, but she quickly sorted things out:
"Then...in this case, we should be more proactive and carry out small-scale experiments on complex intelligent machines.

“Within the scope of our control, we will observe whether the consciousness similar to that of animals will be born after the complexity of intelligent machines reaches a certain level.

"If it is born, then we can limit its complexity below a certain level by controlling the number of devices that are added."

After hearing this, Zhu Jingyuan nodded gently:
“You can try it, but the experimental environment and all equipment should be physically isolated from the outside public Internet.

“Even if it can give birth to consciousness, it should become consciousness within an isolated system.

“The database must also be completely isolated, and all data entering this system must undergo strict review and analysis.

“Make sure the data coming in doesn’t create negative perceptions of humanity.

“However, our human moral and social standards may not necessarily apply to the standards of intelligent machines.

“So in the early days, it’s better to use as little external data as possible.

"Such experimental results will be more accurate.

"It's also relatively controllable."

Judy Lan immediately agreed:

"My son understands."

Zhu Dilan finally said goodbye to his father, returned to the palace to gather relevant personnel, and began to prepare for complex intelligent machine experiments.

An island with the least population was selected from the Yingzhou Islands.

Move all the residents of the island to another island, and cut off the island's Internet connection and power supply to the outside world.

Build independent power stations, smart machine assembly factories, and smart program laboratories on the island, and adopt the highest level of military control.

The original semi-independent intelligent machines designed to be as small as possible are sent to the island for assembly.

The design goal of the first phase is to design and assemble 1 intelligent machine components to build a nervous system similar to that of lower animals.

Before the number of mechanical intelligence originals reaches 1000 million, the number of originals at each stage increases tenfold.

The structure of complex intelligent machinery is designed simultaneously with reference to the body of existing animals.

After Zhu Jingyuan escorted the remains of his father and aunt to the imperial mausoleum, he began to understand and try out the latest dormancy technology.

Half a year later, Zhu Jingyuan tried hibernation for the first time with the assistance of the best craftsmen and doctors in the industry.

After ten days of preparation, it entered a dormant state in a specially prepared dormant life-sustaining warehouse.

During the hibernation process, the body's metabolic rate drops to 60.00% of the normal level.

Zhu Jingyuan's first hibernation only lasted ten days and ended.

After waking up, I continued a month of inspections and adjustments to confirm that my body had returned to its previous state without any abnormalities.

During the process of inspection and adjustment, Zhu Jingyuan was also reviewing and considering the problem.

The actual feeling of hibernation is like lying down and sleeping, but it is more solid and longer than normal sleep.

There was no dream at all, and the ten days seemed like an instant.

According to theoretical calculations, during ten days of dormancy, the body only ages for six to seven days.

But these ten days had no experience at all, nor any real enjoyment of life, and they were gone in the blink of an eye.

In the end, the life expectancy was increased by three to four days compared to the normal ten days of sobriety.

Fourteen days alive, four days awake.

Ten days alive, ten days awake.

Anyone with a normal mind knows how to choose.

If you don't have expectations for the future, it would be a complete loss to experience this kind of hibernation normally.

The best application would be space travel, where astronauts can go into hibernation and spend long and boring time.

Therefore, the same technology in Zhu Jingyuan's previous life has been basically mature, but I have never heard of any rich man who decided to stay dormant for a long time and wait for the future.

But Zhu Jingyuan is indeed not an ordinary person. There is nothing in this world that he cares about too much.

It is already difficult for a body that is already in its [-]s and [-]s to experience many entertainment and enjoyment items. If you are not careful, you may get injured or sick and become miserable.

Zhu Jingyuan's last thought now is to see the big tomorrow as far into the future as possible.

So Zhu Jingyuan finally decided to continue hibernation.

　Once the machine intelligence thing is finished, the book will really be over. If it continues to be written, it will become science fiction.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)