IBM setting out to build an electronic brain | Hacker News Reader

IBM setting out to build an electronic brain

forbes.com

64 pointsjitendra_15 comments

Interesting but color me skeptical of claims that they "[take] computing concepts to a whole new level". This would be fantastic if they could do it, and I think asynchronous event-driven circuits are definitely a move in the right direction, but the supposed "blog" they link to is nearly content-free marketspeak. The hyperbolic claims and lack of proven results set off little warning bells on this PR piece.

If you check out the "publications" tab there is more substantial content. The first one in the list is a pretty readable yet detailed description of their approach and philosophy.

That is a fair point, and I admit that I read into the blog post more than was actually claimed.

I hope this doesn't end as another "cat brain" fiasco:

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2898229

Since the original critique by Henry Markram has been removed from the bluebrain website, I wish if anyone can confirm that the pasted exchange actually took place.

Here is an authentic source for Markram's critique of the "Cat out of the bag" paper:

http://news.discovery.com/tech/cat-brain-computer-hype.html

I just got a mental image of Eliezer Yudkowski and Linda Hamilton assaulting IBM headquarters at night with the help of a buff Austrian combat cyborg.

This is old news, and gets much more publicity in the media that it probably deserves, but the vision of a "brain-like" computer certainly appeals to a majority of readers. Previously:

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2898229

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2908802

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2899299

When they make one that's safe for implant, I am so getting it.

I'd love to commercialize this by connecting our brains to a farm of electronic brains via an API. Brain Power on Demand(tm)! :)

Brainpower on demand? I think we already have that, and it's called Mechanical Turk or Crowdflower ;-)

It is called 'Ask HN'.

Yahoo Answers :-)

Well hope they are as smart as they think they are. In 2009 they thought the word mating started with an F !

I think they simply substituted the PG version of the real word here.

Yeah, It was kinda ironic on my part. Laughed pretty hard about the PG'ing though, they could have thrown in a little bit more irony themself, but yeah it's forbes :)

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