Brainmakers: How Scientists Moving Beyond Computers Create Rival to Humn Brain [Paperback]

David H. Freedman (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 067151055X | ISBN-13: 978-0671510558 | Publication Date: April 6, 1995

Join David Freedman as he takes you on a fascinating tour behind the scenes at laboratories around the world as top researchers race to create revolutionary "thinking machines" that may one day lead to a new form of intelligence.

The subject of fantasy and skepticism for centuries-- from William James's mechanical bride to 2001's Hal to Star Wars' R2D2-- artificial intelligence has been limited to number-crunching computers that are"smart" only in highly specific domains like chess-- until now. "Brainmakers" is an eye-opening, mind-expanding, and mind-blowing journey through laboratories engaged in cutting-edge research into neuro-science and robotics. Inside, you'll discover:

MIT's Attila, a 3.6-pound, six-legged robot that learns as it interacts with its surroundings.

Japan's efforts to grow brain cells on chips and construct a "wiring diagram" of the human brain

UCLA's "robot farm", where robots will be "bred" for intelligence.

In exciting yet accessible detail, Freedman shows how this research has moved into a new realm that transcends computer science, combining neuroscience, mircobiology, evolutionary biology, and zoology. Modeled after natural rather than artificial intelligence, thinking machines may soon develop powers that rival-- or exceed-- those of the human brain.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Freelance science writer Freedman's compelling state-of-the-art report on the quest to build human-like thinking machines explores how the field of artificial intelligence is being reinvigorated through AI researchers' interface with neuroscience, biology and robotics. At MIT, Attila, a six-legged robot, crawls around, learning new skills by interacting with its environment. In Japan, scientists are making movies of the neuron-to-neuron flow of signals inside the brains of live rats; their ultimate goal is a "wiring diagram" illustrating how the human brain works. At UCLA, computer scientists have designed a "robot farm" where robots will "mate" by merging their programs; an occasional mutation will be added to imitate biological evolution. Even more science fiction-like are biophysicists' and AI experts' efforts to harness the self-organizing and memory capabilities of biomolecules (e.g., bacterial protein or RNA) which may one day replace transistors on microchips or even serve as the basis for "biomolecular computers."
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

If you think supercomputers like Hal 9000, star of 2001, are inevitable, Freedman may surprise you. For after more than 30 years of trying to create an electronic brain that matches our glob of gray matter, he discloses, scientists and engineers readily admit they are still far from any such goal. Lest you start thinking the artificial intelligence field is totally barren, Freedman shows what's presently in it--computers ranging from some that can think and do logic but not much else to others that can almost sing and dance but don't have the sense to come in out of the rain. The scientific movers and shakers have come to a dead end in trying to make computer brains that look and act like R2D2 and instead are looking at how the brain evolved. Ironically, the lowly cockroach and other bugs may provide the inspiration for actually building a brain. Some of the newest developments are downright startling, allowing Freedman to assert that the next decade or so may see "thinking" computers that may make Hal 9000 seem outmoded in the real year 2001. Jon Kartman --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Touchstone (April 6, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 067151055X
• ISBN-13: 978-0671510558
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.7 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,375,652 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

David H. Freedman is a contributing editor for Inc. Magazine, and has written on science, business and technology for The Atlantic, The New York Times, The Harvard Business Review, Fast Company, Science, Wired, and many other publications. His newest book, Wrong, about why experts keep failing us, just came out in June, 2010. He last book (co-authored), was A Perfect Mess, about the useful role of disorder in daily life, business and science. He is also the author of books about the U.S. Marines, computer crime, and artificial intelligence. Freedman's blog Making Sense of Medicine takes a close, critical look at medical findings making current headlines with an eye to separating out the frequent hype. He lives near Boston.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent and fascinating read for any sci-fi fan..., July 21, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Brainmakers: How Scientists Moving Beyond Computers Create Rival to Humn Brain (Paperback)

If you've ever read 'I, Robot' by Issac Asimov (or anything like it), this book should be required reading for you. It provides a fascinating and candid view into the history, research, debates and a detailed summary of the current progress in the controversial field of A.I. (artificial intelligence). I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and have shared it's title with many who have also enjoyed it. As an author and sci-fi fanatic, I found it's forthright, non-technical manner both refreshing and easy to read (finished it in one night), and the information provided to be excellent food for thought. Not too technical, this book can easily be understood by just about anyone, and SHOULD be read by anyone who has ever enjoyed reading anything involving robots or computers of any kind (even the average Star Wars fan will like this one). 'Brainmakers' is a must-read which has earned a permanent place in my personal library (which I might add is fairly extensive and somewhat exclusive). If you can find a copy, it's worth whatever price you have to pay for it.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Review of Brainmakers, September 5, 2002

By 

Robert Jones (Emporia, Kansas USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Brainmakers (Hardcover)

Freedman's book is a useful introduction to artificial
intelligence suitable for the lay reader. More technical
introductions exist in the form of the many good textbooks
on AI.
Brainmaker is a fun read but I do have a few criticisms.
Freedman distinguishes "old time" "good old fashioned AI"
g.o.f.a.i. from what he dubs "nature AI." I believe that he
has simply cobbled together some ideas and that his "nature
AI" does not exist as a coherent project.
Freedman seems to think that gofai was not modeled after
nature. I do not agree. Newell studied how people reasoned,
Boole was building a logic of how people think, and Rosenblatt
had real neural nets in mind. It is also inaccurate to call
gofai a failure. Sure there are lots of things that people
can do that computers can't. But there is also a long and
growing list of what computers can do and people can not. AIs
are good a modus tollens, humans are not. AIs are good at
long chains of reasoning and with negated terms, humans are not.
Computers can handle spaces having many dimensions, humans find
it hard to handle 3. Computers are good at probability and
math, people are not. And the list goes on and on.
Freedman's "nature AI" does not exist as a real AI subfield.
He has simply grouped together a number of new ideas, some good,
some bad. He also spends too much time on biology. If
there is any evidence that intelligence requires "wetwear" such
evidence is not presented in the book.