Commodore 64 runs AI to generate images | Hacker News Reader

Commodore 64 runs AI to generate images

tomshardware.com

147 pointsnickbild32 comments

Is there a name for this phenomena of “let’s run modern algorithms on ancient devices?” Paleoalgorithmics?

Retroalgorithmics. Similar to the contemporary use of the term retrocomputing.

Would Paleoalgorithmics not just be the exploration of ancient algorithms?

Here we are taking modern code and teleporting it back in time. Or perhaps rather taking hardware back to the future. Clearly it should be called DeLoreanithmics.

Paleoalgorithmics sounds like something straight out of a Jodorowsky comicbook.

Archeocomputation is better imo. "Paleo-" typically implies geological timescales rather than decades.

Even if “paleo-” means “old” and “archaeo- / archeo-” means “ancient”?

In the sense they're used as English prefixes, paleo is many orders of magnitude older than archeo. Hence words like "paleoarchaeology", which starts around 10kya.

Congratulations!

This is a bit of cheating. It’s using a C64C - with its fancy refresh of the hardware. Not that there was any material differences in anything that matters, but the molded plastic case difference is definitely something to consider.

He’s also using an LCD screen. It can’t really be taken seriously.

Can you explain more? If there's no meaningful differences, what's cheating?

Pretty sure it was a hyperbolic No True Scotsman for comedic purposes.

That’s what everyone who bought one said!

(It's HN humor.)

Well, that was exact-whelming.

Pretty cool anyway :).

Equal-whelming?

Just plain whelming seems to fit the bill.

I’d say that whelming would be the hypernym.

Maybe isowhelming.

Just "whelming", I'd've thought.

Probabilistic PCA is not the same thing as modern generative AI

Better link: https://github.com/nickbild/c64_gen_ai

Am I the only one to be extremly triggered by the typing speed? I get that it's a slow computer, but.. come on man!

I think this shows something more important: we are not hardware limited. There's no reason someone could not have implemented this 40 years ago. Our hardware is way beyond our research.

I didn't know how to create a general intelligence, but however it's done will probably be something an undergrad could implement in a week using a desktop computer in 2024.

> No reliance on something like OpenAI is needed, though the "probabilistic PCA algorithm" running on the Commodore 64 used for this project was actually trained on a modern computer. So while the model runs on Commodore 64 as advertised, a modern PC was still needed to get this up and running to begin with.

Bah, fair enough.

I think the thrust of my argument is true though. We could have gone 10 or 20 years back instead (C64 is downright ancient).

it would be more compelling if the algorithm they used was actually at all similar to modern deep NNs

Monochrome 8x8 images to be exact... but still impressive!

Right below what my good old Nvidia 2070 SUPER are able to.

in BASIC and floating point, no less.

Perfect for stocking my Little Computer People house.

I missed the prompting! But hey, let's leave room for optimization :)

Does this prove that the Commodore 64 is Nvidia-complete?

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