For the Department of Defense the answer appears to be positive. At least so it just appeared on the DoD website in an article by Rick Docksai: "Brain-like" supercomputer ...
Some time ago I pointed out that one of the DARPA (SyNAPSE) programs had produced as a result a new type of processor much more similar to the human brain than to a classic computer, specifically designed to simulate human behavior in decision-making and recognition.
The processor is called TrueNorth and has enormous potential, says engineer Qing Wu (photo), ofAir Force Research Laboratory at the US Air Force Wright-Patterson Base, Ohio.
The processor TrueNorth of IBM, developed with the financing of the SyNAPSE program, is a "neuromorphic" processor that mimics the behavior of neurons in the human brain with a very low energy consumption (compared to conventional chips). According to engineer Qing Wu, the new processor will stimulate research on the use of artificial intelligence for military defense systems and analysts.
In June, IBM announced it had been commissioned by the US Air Force to build a new supercomputer for the base's labs.
Wright-Patterson. The supercomputer will be realized by joining in cloud 64 processors TrueNorth and will be used to perform data analysis functions coming from various types of sensors typical of the field of artificial intelligence, operations that can also be performed by conventional processors but in a higher number and with much greater energy consumption.
The head of the team of IBM researchers who worked on the SyNAPSE project, Dharmendra Modha (photo), explained that the processor of new technology and architecture, has a power consumption of 4 orders of magnitude lower than a normal processor. The processor TrueNorth it has millions of circuits similar to human neurons, it also contains components for storing information, for processing them and for communication. The presence of all these components inside the processor allows very high energy savings.
According to Professor William Halal of George Washungton University, founder of think tanks TechCast, a further contribution to research in the field of artificial intelligence may be given by TrueNorth since this processor is very effective in parallel computing and in the research and interpretation of "patterns", or paths, and in drawing conclusions from the analysis of huge amounts of data normally coming from sensors.
Not many conventional computers are capable of behaving in this way, typical of human reasoning. In fact, computers generally need human guidance to understand which data are most important and what to do with them. The processor TrueNorth instead it is potentially able to decide for itself what to do with the data or even which data to collect.
According to Mark Barnell, senior scientist at the US Air Force Laboratories, the capabilities of the new processor will assist defense analysts, enabling them to analyze data and information faster and thus enable decision makers to make decisions with greater awareness and in less time.
Artificial Intelligence is becoming increasingly important in the world of Defense.
However, careful consideration will be needed up to where it is permissible to go.
Will it be acceptable, for example, to declare a (preventive) war on the basis of behavioral analyzes of an enemy country carried out by a machine, when instead it could be important, as history teaches, human unpredictability?
We will see what the future holds for us.
To learn more:
-https://www.defense.gov/News/Article/Article/1275214/brain-like-supercom...
-https://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/52657.wss
