Issu159【07-10G Superstar大帖】第八次次作业 by Huaxinluobo

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Will human mind be always superior to machine because machines are only tools of human minds, as the speaker asserts? If ‘mind’ can be defined as two parts – calculation and intellect, as in my view, the claim holds merit only in the latter half of definition of ‘mind’ such as thinking, learning, and emotion.

Admittedly, in calculation , counting, data reserving and managing, machines have surpassed human minds for a long time , which is just what we make them for. Even a three-dollar calculator sold in supermarket has a much higher capability of accounting than human. The greatest invention in last century, computer, by its name, is invented to merely do calculation at the beginning. The first electronic computer, ENIAC, was designed to calculating the ballistic curve of missiles to free engineers from burdensome work. Today’s normal PC can do more than 1000 million operations per second, while those used in specific propose have a much higher speed. By virtue of computer, once complex equation and matrix can be solved in seconds; displacement of moving objects like space shuttles , missiles can be controlled and limited in a surprising small range; engineers can test the rigidity of their designs without even manufacturing one. After all, man have succeeded in making something that can do a better job than ourselves in calculation and counting, based on which I disagree with the claim.

When turn to the other aspect of mind – intellect, which means thinking, learning and emotion, I agree with the speaker that human mind is superior to machines at present and not far future. Until now, attempts to make a machine that can think like men and some inferior animals, or in other word, Artificial Intellect (AI), have all failed. Even the best computer nowadays can only do calculation, operated by human, but not capable of committing basic logic thinking, let away learning and emotion. Moreover, research of AI is unlikely to have breakthrough in foreseeable future. It’s widely accepted by scholars around the world that by imitating human or other animals’ brain can AI find a way to success, which I agree although I am merely a laymen. I concede that by new theories and technology, our knowledge about brains increases rapidly in recent years, however, what we have known is still far insufficient to help us clearly understand how the brain works and step on to imitate it. So, based on current situation it is reasonable to claim that human mind is and will be superior to machines in intellect for a while.

However, how long will the situation in which human minds be superior last is uncertain. History is full of examples that once seemed impossible and unbelievable things finally became reality. The invention of computer itself is just one of them: decades ago no one though that there will be a tool that changes the life of human so deeply and so fast in societies as ours. And who can assure that similar miracle will not happen on the pursuit of AI? In future it is entirely possible for man to be capable of making smart machines and computers, when human mind will completely concede to machines. But in my view it is not likely to happen, not because of technology, but because machines are only human tools as the speaker asserts. Men have already realized the danger of emergence of intellectual machines, which is shown in fictions and movies like Matrix and Terminator. So I believe when scientist get close to AI, restrictions will be carried to hamper it for the safety of mankind just like what we do to clone of human.

In sum, until now machine is superior to human mind in calculation while in intellect the situation is conversed . But whether human will keep intellectually superior to machine in long future is still uncertain.