How Does AI Think?

Introduction: Bridging the Gap

I was in the car, scrolling through an article my dad had sent me, when I first encountered the idea that machines might truly ‘think.’ The piece detailed how Google’s AlphaGo Zero had defeated the world champion of the strategic board game, Go — a feat that was considered sensational at the time. It was around 2018, when AI in the public imagination was more sci-fi than reality. But AlphaGo Zero was one step towards what we see today. Unlike chess, where AI had triumphed by sheer computational brute force, Go required a strategy reflective of an almost intuitive grasp of the game, due to its complex nature with an unimaginable number of possible moves. The AI had become a master in the game by playing itself millions of times, even discovering strategies previously unknown to human players. This revelation sparked a cascade of questions in my mind. How can a machine mimic what seems like a very human intuition? How can a computer ‘think’? And in what ways might a computer ‘think’? These questions have stayed with me, and in this blog series, we’ll explore them together, unraveling the fabric of human and artificial cognition.

^{Image from BBC: Lee Se-dol playing against Alpha Go}

Ever Wondered?

Have you ever marveled at a sunset and wondered how millions of neurons in your brain work together to appreciate its beauty? Or have you spoken to a digital assistant and pondered how lines of code can understand your words? If you’ve ever been curious about how our brains or machines process the world around us, you’ve come to the right place.

In this blog series, we’ll embark on a fascinating journey to explore the parallels between the human mind and artificial intelligence. We’ll explore how the brain’s intricate network mirrors the complex algorithms of AI, and how these systems learn, perceive, and make decisions.

A Universe Within Your Skull

Imagine the brain as a universe within your skull, bustling with electrical activity like a city at night — each spark representing a thought or memory — and compare it to the intricate circuitry of a computer. This series will bridge these two worlds, using the human brain as a framework to demystify how modern AI works.

Each post will focus on a different type of thinking — from the way we see and interpret the world, to how we remember and learn from experiences, and even how we understand and generate language. Along the way, I’ll introduce you to the cutting-edge technologies that are blurring the lines between human and machine capabilities.

A Simple Thought Experiment

Let’s start with a simple thought experiment. When you interact with AI, like asking Siri for the weather or using a navigation app, do you think of these interactions as talking to a machine? Or does it feel more like communicating with something that understands you? This question lies at the heart of our discussions, as we explore the complex dance between coding and cognition.

No prior knowledge of neuroscience or artificial intelligence is needed. Just bring your curiosity and questions, and let’s explore the amazing capabilities of our minds and the machines that mirror them.

What’s Next?

In our next post, we’ll dive into the world of perception—how we and machines see and interpret the world around us. Get ready to look at your everyday interactions with technology in a whole new light!