Summary Of 2001 A Space Odyssey By Nicholas Carr

Nicholas Carr, as a writer believes that because we use the web to much, we are losing the ability to deep think. When talking to others that he interacts with, he has started to think that he is losing some of his mental processing when reading long passages. He attributes this to the fact that when we go online to find information we skim for the information we want. We don’t read it in depth. One of his examples is Bruce Friedman, a bloggers who talks about computers and medicine, he has said that now he has “almost totally lost the ability to read and absorb a longish article on the web or in print”. When read these claims sound sincere, but other factors must also be considered such as an old brain, a weak memory or distractions. Now that

Their goal is to create a system that brings the information easily and makes it more accessible. They use search results from people to create the most advanced search engine. They are trying to create a artificial intelligence. One that can bring information to people’s fingertips. The author says that because the information is so spread out on the internet page we are looking at, it creates too many distractions, so we lose the meaning of what we’re reading. One of his examples, when he uses HAL from 2001: A Space Odyssey, he uses it again towards the end, he brings up the fear that, because we are so dependent on computers, we are becoming more and more machine like. That we are slowly losing our empathy towards things. The process of emotions is considered a lower function of the brain, related to more baser instinct. What the author might be trying to explain is that as we, as a civilization, progress and become more advanced, our higher brain functions such as cognitive process may start to dominate our thinking. In science fiction there is the situation of implants, putting a computer into our brain. In some stories humans become more logical, in other we start to see science as a the all out answer and forget some of the things that once defined a human being. In the example, Dave, the astronaut, is systematically unplugging HAL, while HAL is pleading with him to stop. HAL shows fear, because for him he is

Except the AI’s aren’t the massive supercomputer that we think of. Tim Appenzeller says that researchers are focusing more on ‘artificial neural networks’, meaning they learn on their own instead of the earlier programs where they would program the information right into it. Which allows them to spot patterns and anomalies that are too small for a human brain to notice. They are meant to help scientists compile and organize the massive amount of data that they have to work with. Scientists are looking into this field because they believe it will help with the discovery of new concepts and perhaps more advanced technology. But there is a downside, studies have shown that the networks can’t explain how they came to their conclusion. This has led to the study of ‘AI neuroscience’, instead of studying the human brain they study the computer brain. According to Matthew Hutson, who has a bachelor's in cognitive neuroscience, has stated that ever since 1956, when the concept of AI was introduced it has never had any clear boundaries, having many types of working processes. Some examples listed by Mr. Hutson are the Tensor Flow, “A collection of software tools developed by Google for use in deep learning. It is open source, meaning anyone can use or improve it. Similar projects include Torch and Theano”, and the Expert System, “A form of