Re:The Chess Master and the Computer
by bumbledraven on Friday December 31, 2010 @04:03PM
(#2056450)
In the first two cases, humans have invented more effective ways of doing a task than the biological methods.
Kasparov acknowledges that computers are superior to unassisted humans at playing chess, so how is the third case (computer chess) different?
[B]rute-force methods of recreating systems are no longer working.
On the contrary, brute-force algorithms are working better and better as a result of the trend currently known as Moore's law. The faster the hardware, the less intelligent the software running on it has to be to do the same job.
As a result, when you apply these analogies to the human intuition and more complex processes, you are confronted with a dilemma. Our society is reaching a limit where our brute-force methods of recreating systems are no longer working. We are looking too much at the face value of these systems, and thus reaching problems with efficiency and further innovation. In my humble opinion, Kasparov is trying to say that the demands of the market have caused this behavior which benefits in short term, but limits us in the long run. Taking risks to work on a longer-term project of recreating systems at a more fundamental level is what keeps innovation going, and it's time we take it to a new level with respect to human intuition.