Thank you Jack Jennings for the referral to DeGaris' website.
Thank you Ben Houston for the book referrals.

I am a writer and am currently working on a piece of fiction that demands
attaching a good level of authenticity to the idea of a "self-aware" AI.
Yes, I know what you're thinking, "Oh great, here comes another sci-fi story
a-la Matrix".
I confess, I do like GOOD sci-fi, and sadly, there is very little of it
around.
"The Matrix" had some interesting ideas, but it stretched credibility in too
many areas and its premise was inherently flawed.
"2001:A Space Odyssey" was also a stretch of scientific reality, but a
masterful work of art nonetheless.

In 1995 I was engaged in a discussion with a chess master who was convinced
beyond a doubt that computers were already smarter than humans. He held up
the Cray computer as an example of the AI's intellectual superiority to Man.
Certainly this fellow was very good at playing chess, but in my opinion, he
did not have a clear grasp on reality and was also quite probably
intellectually frustrated. I explained to him that humans had built the
computer, and then programmed in the algorithms which emulated the grand
chess masters like Bobby Fischer, Kasparov, etc. Therefore, I told him, the
AI is merely a fancy tool that can calculate permutations much more
efficiently/quickly than the human brain. I asked him how a "tool" could
possibly be smarter than a human being. I asked him if he'd let his hammer
plan his financial future for him. Well, I don't think he was really
listening to me and someone once said, "You can never win an argument with a
crazy person". It's interesting to me, however, how some people think and
what they choose to believe in.

Best regards,

-Wolfspider

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