General Intelligence

Intelligence is a computational process and a continuum rather than an end point. When bound to the real world, it is the ability to so deeply understand the nature of reality, that it can provide increasingly accurate predictive power. This includes the ability to run predictions in reverse to find or build causal or historic relationship chains.

Humans use this predictive power as a means to interact purposefully with their environment - to aid survival and promote adherence to genetically prescribed or socially engineered values and goals. But for Intelligence to exist at all, there are certain environmental pre-cursors:

And for intelligence to speculate on our reality it needs a means to:

A presumption is that due to quantum effects at the very small level and chaos effects at the very large - prediction, and thus intelligence, will remain illusory. Added uncertainty arises with other biologically constructed animated beings. Constrained by physical law, yet animated by reflex, genetically programmed instinct, or from their internal cognitive processes. How can such complexity ever be intelligently predicted? Yet we ourselves appear able, at least to some extent, to overcome all of these effects.

At the atomic level, it is rarely necessary to predict particle animation with certainty, because all significant effects occur in the aggregate, where statistical probability can reliably model behavior. Also, predictions can be constrained to avoid chaotic events (so rather than walk a tightrope to get from A to B you take the foot bridge). With biology, statistical prediction still works well on macro events, but is limited in the details. So although intelligent prediction does appear to have some constraints, there are still very large areas where it can be relied upon. Within the oceans of chaos there is much dry land upon which to build a rational intellect.

It is further presumed that computers are deterministic and humans non deterministic. I.e. given an initial set of conditions, a computer can only ever follow a predetermined course. Whereas a human, with 'free will', can follow his own. For all intents and purposes both can be considered non deterministic, though statistically predictable. The study of human twins illustrates how the same largely deterministic genetic inheritance can be affected by real world chaotic forces. Like internal brain chemistry guiding emotions; sensory data flow, unique first person perspectives and the resulting memory structures; differentiated emotional responses etc. Add all these variables and more together and you have a combinatorial explosion. Genuine AI will similarly benefit from many of these same forces. Even blind random inputs could be easily added if found beneficial.

Intelligence is non judgmental and the pursuit of knowledge morally neutral. But any action affecting other conscious entities creates moral hazard. Morality arises from the exigencies of biological survival within a social framework and is dominated by genetic and social programming biases. For instance:

The primary genetically derived grading process leads to the basic positive moral status of survival (existence), feeding and mating. Secondary genetic and socially trained schemas lead to the moral grading of simulations involving cultural concepts such as cooperation, altruism, group patriotism, treachery, over consumption, monogamy etc.