Polyworld: Using Evolution to Design Artificial Intelligence

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Google Tech Talks
November, 8 2007

ABSTRACT

This presentation is about a potential shortcut to artificial intelligence by trading mind-design for world-design using artificial evolution. Evolutionary algorithms are a pump for turning CPU cycles into brain designs. With exponentially increasing CPU cycles while our understanding of intelligence is almost a flat-line, the evolutionary route to AI is a centerpiece of most Kurzweilian singularity scenarios. This talk introduces the Polyworld artificial life simulator as well as results from our ongoing attempt to evolve artificial intelligence and further the Singularity.

Polyworld is the brain child of Apple Computer Distinguished Scientist Larry Yaeger, who remains the primary developer of Polyworld:



Speaker: Virgil Griffith
Virgil Griffith is a first year graduate student in Computation and Neural Systems at the California Institute of Technology. On weekdays he studies evolution, computational neuroscience, and artificial life. He did computer security work until his first year of university when his work got him sued for sedition and espionage. He then decided that security was probably not safest field to be in and he turned his life to science.

Channel: People & Blogs
Uploaded: November 13, 2007 at 2:12 am
Author: googletechtalks

Length: 01:06:38
Rating: 4.79
Views: 43254

Tags: google techtalks techtalk engedu talk talks googletechtalks education

Video Comments:
sammipooh (January 7, 2009 at 2:18 pm)
Its an interesting idea but I find his stutter and erratic speech a bit irritating after a while.
Takes a looong time before he goes from AL to applying it to AI.
techfixer16888 (December 27, 2008 at 12:29 pm)
evolution : natural selection (of groups) :

1) groups with altruistic members vs. 2) groups with no altriustic members...

obvisously groups with altruistic members has certain advantages in times of extreme external conditions such as wars or famine.

Thanks for the thought provoking video, it has helped me understand myself and my position in the world.
techfixer16888 (December 27, 2008 at 11:35 am)
can we stop a critter, interogate it with a question, if it answers correctly then we reward it with some food ? may be we could evolve a chatter to win the lobester prize hehe.
bloodwolfshadow (December 15, 2008 at 9:48 pm)
My mama says evolution is the devil
shuraman (December 12, 2008 at 6:39 pm)
BWAHAHahahahahahuhuhuhhahahahaha hahahahahah xD I am laughing out loud!!!!! jajaja MIN 10.28... It shows the finger heheheh
Hairysteed (December 7, 2008 at 9:13 am)
LOL @ 10:23 :D
Hairysteed (December 7, 2008 at 8:59 am)
Yeah... it sound as he's stumbling as he's trying to speak faster :D I still didn't have any trouble following though :)
rettinhousegames (December 1, 2008 at 5:37 pm)
so now I finally know why robots are not running around and burninating people! the "scientist" cant even afford lazer pointers and proper chairs!
spikesmth (November 26, 2008 at 1:15 am)
HAHAHA, APPLE FAIL! Even Vista coulda pulled that off!
deepdivestudios (November 23, 2008 at 9:04 pm)
Interesting. My hunch is that the relationships are there, but it's a matter of scale. We don't know enough about really small things or really big things to see the realtionships clearly. I seem to remember reading about the use of hamiltonians to achieve some insight into quantum systems. In any case, I like the comment. I give it six points.