A Fundamental Approach to AI

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A fundamental approach to AI date: 30 April 2013

A fundamental approach to AI

2012-2013 Menno Mafait (http://mafait.org) 1
http://mafait.org/http://mafait.org/


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Table of Contents1. The scientific approach to AI is not fundamental...................................................................2

1.1. The fundamental approach of Thinknowlogy..................................................................2

2. What is intelligence?...............................................................................................................3

3. What is autonomy?..................................................................................................................3

4. Invalidation of the evolution theory........................................................................................4

5. Limits of Artificial Intelligence..............................................................................................4

1. The scientific approach to AI is not fundamental

A mature science is defined unambiguously. So, what is the foundation of Artificial

Intelligence? What is the definition of intelligence? What is the definition of Semantics /meaning?

A mature (technical) science is based on a natural foundation. For example, the science of

electricity is based on the natural phenomenon of a flow of electrically charged particles. So,

what is the natural foundation of AI and knowledge technology?

A mature science integrates all its disciplines. So, why are all AI disciplines separate

"islands" then. Why is e.g. Ontology (automated reasoning) incompatible with Natural

Language Processing (NLP)? Why do scientists fail to integrate them to: reasoning in natural

language? Why don't they have one common foundation? (Ontology is based on formal

language and NLP on natural language.)

1.1. The fundamental approach of Thinknowlogy

Thinknowlogy is designed according to a definition ofintelligence;

Thinknowlogy is based on a natural foundation, by deriving its intelligence from a natural

source: There are rules of intelligence contained within grammar, explained in chapter 2 of

thedesign paper. Thinknowlogy is designed to utilize this natural source of intelligence, in

order to create intelligence through natural language in software;

Proof of the pudding: Thinknowlogy integrates several disciplines seamlessly, by which it

has results which no AI method can deliver. (See list on myhome page.)

http://www.mafait.org/en/what_is_intelligence/http://www.mafait.org/en/design/http://www.mafait.org/en/design/http://mafait.org/http://mafait.org/http://mafait.org/http://www.mafait.org/en/what_is_intelligence/http://www.mafait.org/en/design/http://mafait.org/http://mafait.org/


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2. What is intelligence?

A definition should be unambiguous, fundamental (=natural) and deterministic

(=implementable):

Intelligence is a naturally occurring phenomenon, which can be described as the capability of

autonomously organizing:

Basic intelligence: the capability of autonomously avoiding chaos, creating order or

restoring order;

Creative intelligence: the capability of autonomously creating or improving a beautiful

piece of work or a functional system;

Semantic intelligence: the capability of autonomously understanding one another's meaning

or intention;

Self-intelligence (consciousness, self-esteem): the capability of autonomously recognizingone's own influence on the environment.

The capability ofautonomously organizing explained in more detail:

Associating (or combining) of individual or separate objects, with the aim of achieving a

goal that can not be achieved by either of those objects separately;

Discriminating (or differentiating) compound or intertwined objects, with the aim to clarify

the situation, by putting them in their own context;

Learning from mistakes: Using knowledge and experience to differentiate successes from

mistakes;

Planning future actions to achieve a goal;

Predicting possible consequences of those planned actions.

3. What is autonomy?

An autonomous system relies on a natural source. So, an autonomously intelligent system

relies on a natural source of intelligence.

So, when information systems rely on the use ofartificial sources, like semantic vocabularies

and ontology databases, they aren't autonomous. Therefore, such systems aren't able to gainintelligence autonomously.

Thinknowlogy utilizes a natural source of intelligence: There are rules of intelligence

contained within grammar. These rules of intelligence are simple and very useful to associate

and discriminate knowledge. They are described in chapter 2 of the design paper.

Only systems utilizing a natural source of intelligence are able to gain intelligence

autonomously. To illustrate the difference by a known Chinese saying: Give a man a fish and

you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.

And therefore, only Thinknowlogy is able to fish, like building its own semantics.

http://mafait.org/en/design/http://mafait.org/http://mafait.org/en/design/http://mafait.org/


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4. Invalidation of the evolution theory

The evolution theory is a concatenation of assumptions, all relying on the one assumption that

a system can improve itself.

However, without rules of order and structure, and without external influence, a system will

lose structure (comparable to the Second law of thermodynamics).

This implies:

Rules of order and structure can not emerge from an unstructured situation;

An unstructured situation can only be structured by external rules of order and structure;

If a system is ordered and structured, external rules of order and structure were applied.

Now consider the aim ofBasic intelligence: "with the aim to avoid chaos or to restore order".

By substitution of the aim of Basic Intelligence with the earlier implication "If a system is

ordered and structured, external rules of order and structure were applied", we can conclude:

If a system is ordered and structured, external intelligence was applied.

This supports Intelligent Design.

So, "improving by itself" is invalid, which is the heart of the evolution theory. And since a

chain is only as strong as its weakest link, the whole chain of the evolution theory is invalid,

because the heart of the evolution theory is invalid.

5. Limits of Artificial Intelligence

Animals have a body and an instinct;

Humans have a body, an instinct and a spirit.

An instinct provides basic survival functionality, like hunger, thirst and fleeing from danger.

A spirit provides a free will and a set of morals. And since spirits aren't susceptible for

machines, machines will never have a free will like humans, nor an autonomously controlled

set of morals.

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A Fundamental Approach to AI

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