Concerning AI
To me, "intelligence" (the existential state of being, not the method of gathering information) combines several concepts, some of which have been achieved with computers, and some which have not.
1. Sentience, which is the ability to differentiate between Self and Other. This establishes a self-internalised sense of identity, the existential concept of "I am," and its counterpoint, "The universe I am not." To the best of my knowledge, no AI has yet achieved this. Yet it is this ability that forms the crux of human identity, and will form the crux of "robot rights" and related issues for a long time to come.
2. Learning, which is a function of memory linked to a decision tree. A system, living or otherwise, undergoes interactions with its environment, which we call experiences, that have positive and negative impacts on its existence. From these experiences, it builds a decision tree that allows it to avoid the causes of negative effects and to seek out the causes of positive ones. AI has achieved this to some extent, albeit only in highly specialised arenas. However a generalised learning system that can process any kind of existential experience has yet to be achieved.
3. Abstraction, or conceptualisation, which is the ability to extrapolate consequences from actions without prior experience. This is the driving force of invention. A good example is the discovery of the principle of leverage; using a long stick pinioned over a fulcrum with a short distance to an object too heavy for one to move, allows one to move it. To us this may seem almost instinctive; but most other animals cannot figure it out. To date, no AI has even come close to demonstrating this component of intelligence.
4. Imagination, which is a function of abstraction. It is the ability to conceptualise that which is not, to spontaneously create, store and communicate experiences and information that one has not encountered existentially. To the best of my knowledge this facility is the province of humans alone; no animal has demonstrated a capacity for imagination. Likewise, no AI has come close to demonstrating this ability.
5. Communication, which is the ability to transfer concepts relating to sentience, learning and/or abstraction to other entities like oneself. Most animals have evolved this ability with respect to learning, but to my knowledge only humans, chimpanzees and dolphins have demonstrated the ability to transfer abstraction. Current AI has demonstrated notable ability in communicating learning, and in the case of AIs like Siri and Cortana can simulate the appearance of sentience, but they have not actually demonstrated it.
6. Recording, which is the ability to transfer information by enduringly altering the environment. In humans this is accomplished by drawing, painting, sculpture and writing. It is a groundbreaking achievement because unlike immediate (verbal/gestural etc) communication, it transcends death. Experience and existential knowledge can be passed to other entities even though the original source of that knowledge has ceased to exist. This is why we can re-experience the thoughts of Shakespeare, a man who has been dead and gone for more than half a dozen human lifetimes. AI, of course can do this via the medium of computer data storage.
So the question of whether or not we have truly achieved artificial intelligence comes down to a question of any or all. That is, if you hold intelligence to be any of the above traits, then we have achieved AI. But if you hold intelligence to be all of the above traits, then far from having achieved AI, we are likely a long way from doing so - perhaps not even in the lifetime of anyone now alive.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
