A couple of classes ago, we talked about the memristor being developed by Hewlett Packard. We mentioned it doesn’t work on straight binary, or the on-off paradigm of current transistors used in computer chips, and that would allow for vastly increased storage and speed, instant boots, and much lower power consumption.

We also discussed that there were claims it would give machines a low level of sentience, or self-awareness – remember our discussion of Black Widows? So in the spirit of our discussion of the memristor and its implications, I found this article over on CNN that not only discusses the memristor, but also reiterates all the concerns and issues we discussed in class.

In fact, there is a heading in the story that says “Like a Brain.” Indeed, quoting the article, it says:

Such a shift in computing methodology would allow us to create “smart” computers that operate in a way reminiscent of the synapses in our brains.

Free from the limitations of the 0s and 1s, these more powerful computers would be able to learn and make decisions, ultimately getting us one step closer to creating human-like artificial intelligence.

I have to get this out of the way: “human-like artificial intelligence” doesn’t make any sense. Human intelligence is actual intelligence, artificial intelligence isn’t “human-like.” And we discussed in class whether we really want machines that have these capabilities in the first place.

Soon…

The article also mentions another concept we discussed in class, Moore’s Law, which says we should be able to double the number of transistors on an integrated circuits every two years. There is a limit to how small we can make transistors (currently we’re looking at around 10 nanometers) and once that happens, Moore’s Law will be violated and we will have to move to an entirely new architecture in order to continue the improvements to power, speed and size.

On the one hand, memristor technology is exciting in terms of where it will take technology in general. On the other hand, it’s terrifying in that it might usher in the era of machines that think humans are inferior and want to kill us. Have you read I Have No Mouth and I must Scream? You should, 5 of us might be living it soon.