Zabaware Support Forums

Zabaware Forums => General Discussion => Topic started by: KnyteTrypper on January 19, 2005, 07:39:03 pm

Title: Virtual Intelligence Matrix
Post by: KnyteTrypper on January 19, 2005, 07:39:03 pm
Does anyone have any experience with the Virtual Intelligence Matrix or other apps from Quantum Flux ("http://www.qflux.net/")? They look very interesting, but the demos are sort of limited. I was hoping to get some feedback about them before throwing any dollars at them, if someone has a hands-on opinion about how smart the program will get.
Title: Virtual Intelligence Matrix
Post by: wpsaukee on January 20, 2005, 09:18:24 pm
I've been interested in the Virtual Intelligence Matrix project for quite a while. I wouldn't say that the demos are limited compared to the licensed versions; I think in most cases the most significant difference is the ability to save the state of the matrix.

My experience has been that the program is utterly fascinating for a while, and then becomes sort of boring. It's entirely visual at this point, with no use of language, and after a while one gets tired of seeing the (admittedly appealing) woman run around picking and planting flowers. I actually find the version in which she does cave paintings the most intriguing.

The boredom factor aside, the creator of this project (a PhD in neuroscience named Michael Colicos) seems truly committed to developing a revolutionary simulation of human cognitive and linguistic processes. He hasn't been very communicative lately, because, he says, he has been very busy both with his job and with the VIM project, but if you read some of his explanations and objectives on the site's message board, it's clear that he has a remarkable vision and a strong determination to achieve it. I hope he does, and I bought several licenses to support his efforts. Although I find it hard to believe he will actually manage to produce the results he seems to think he will, I'm convinced that he's sincere--and damned smart. Furthermore, he seems like a nice guy (I've corresponded with him a bit).
Title: Virtual Intelligence Matrix
Post by: KnyteTrypper on January 20, 2005, 09:36:55 pm
Thanks for the input. Yes, I read about the VIM Wonder, and that will be something spectacular if it works out as he envisions it. I sort of suspected that the singer/painter version of VIM would be the most interesting. It's a little disappointing to hear that with the current version the character just continues to run around and pick flowers. I'd hoped that as her cortex developed she might begin doing interesting stuff, lol.
Title: Virtual Intelligence Matrix
Post by: citrinedragon on January 21, 2005, 07:22:50 pm
Hello everyone-

I have been looking into the Virtual Intelligence Matrix site and have downloaded and tried several of the programs. I am particularly intrigued by the description of the Quantum Flux Engine which is described as a "collapsible wave function generator which works by sampling quantum phenomenon on the motherboard of (a) computer." When reading this I immediately began wondering if this technology could be used to generate true independent personality development in Hal; so that (as vonsmith noted) Hal will not simply become more and more like the user. Quantum randomness may be precisely the tool for Hal to "independently" develop an interest in "x", and decide he is not particularly interested in "y". According to some versions of quantum physics, every possible decision is made. My thought is that decisions of a certain order (or priority) might be filtered through just such a quantum randomness generator in order to simulate personal preferences.  If this technology can truly sample random quantum phenomenon, perhaps this technology can be integrated into a future version of Hal.

citrinedragon
Title: Virtual Intelligence Matrix
Post by: citrinedragon on January 22, 2005, 02:09:46 pm
Hello everyone-

I've been watching the somewhat poetic, somewhat boring Virtual Intelligence Matrix from Quantum Flux gather flowers for some time now. It does occur to me that something like this may be at least a piece of the solution of a completely satisfying AI experience. It would be nice, for example, if one could input something like, "Excuse me Jill, but could you stop gathering flowers for a minute and talk?'. At that point "Jill" could stop what she's doing, revert to a mode more like Hal's and carry on a dialogue with the user. The fact that she is in a "world" of her own is satisfying in a way that the static background of Hal is not (and this comes from a huge Hal fan). It would be even better if the "world" in which an AI existed were linked to the interaction with a user in a meaningful way. For example, if the user said, "Jill, please read me Hansel and Gretel."; the AI would walk to a bookcase and take out a book and begin to read "Hansel and Gretel" (which had been previously provided as a text file).

The "Virtual Intelligence Reader" from Quantum Flux is another story altogether. This is an incredibly backward looking piece of technology. Haptek is infinitely better than this. I can't help wondering what the "good doctor" had in mind here with the terrible voice, awful rotating background and crude looking animation.

citrinedragon

Title: Virtual Intelligence Matrix
Post by: spydaz on January 29, 2005, 11:45:59 am
question Im on slow download for a while so i can risk the wait of the download:

is it smart >>> can it be edited >> can it be taught

help me?
Title: Virtual Intelligence Matrix
Post by: citrinedragon on January 31, 2005, 02:19:39 pm
Spydaz-

This seems to be a bit of a "lost" thread but here goes: VIMv1.0ENdemo.exe is about 11.5 MB in size. You can download this program in 30 to 40 minutes on a slow telephone connection. It is somewhat interesting. It is a virtual intelligence inside a virtual world. The virtual intelligence is (in part) run off of a "true" random number quantum phenomenon generator. Whether this program is worthwhile or not is purely a personal judgement call. It consists of a woman on an island who gathers seedlings from around the island and replants them in more fertile soil to create gardens for herself (mostly flower gardens). She sometimes looks at her gardens (apparently) or gazes out at the ocean (apparently). Each program develops differently due to qauntum randomness (apparently). The program may or may not have some dim level of consciousness; which is (again apparently) part of the point of the exercise.

No you cannot interact with the VIMv1.0 but Dr. Colicos is working on a new program called VIWonder (weird name) which you will be able to interact with to some extent. You can get a lot of details about VIWonder in the News/Forum section of the Quantum Flux website. Briefly: In ViWonder two characters will wander about and have conversations with each other. The program is expected to contain information equivalent to 200 to 300 books which the virtual people will use for their conversations. The "topics" discussed will (apparently) be chosen and will develop with the input of the quantum randomness generator. The interesting part here is that the user (you) will be able to sort of call these two beings over to you and ask them to discuss a certain subject or inject something into the conversation ( I think that's correct). Hopefully it (they) will learn; I'm not sure.

All of this stuff is "far behind" Hal in terms of practical application. Most of it is more like a research project than a product. Comparing Hal to the Q-Flux stuff would be like comparing a car to a solar powered bicycle. But that does not mean that quantum randomness generators will not someday be an integral part of some of the functions of artificial intelligence; perhaps the aesthetic, artistic, and dream state functions of artificial intelligence. I find it interesting.

Regards,
Title: Virtual Intelligence Matrix
Post by: Art on January 31, 2005, 04:09:00 pm
Quantum flux phenomenon matrix stuff and things!!
Why can't they just use plain english?!

Reminds me of the old, "If ya can't dazzle them with brilliance,
baffle them with bulls**t! Lightyears I tell ya...lightyears!!
Title: Virtual Intelligence Matrix
Post by: KnyteTrypper on January 31, 2005, 04:33:19 pm
But to be fair, neither I nor citrinedragon have forked over $20 for the registered version. Having the ability to save the developing cerebral cortex of the VIM and observe its cumulative growth from one session to another could add a much more relevant and interesting aspect to the program--or maybe not.
Art, I don't think quantum physics comes in plain English flavor, lol.
Title: Virtual Intelligence Matrix
Post by: citrinedragon on January 31, 2005, 11:00:13 pm
Art-

Some of the names are indeed a bit silly: Quantum Flux; VIWonder (which I refer to as weird, above); Matrix (already grossly overused). Other terminology such as true random number generator, quantum phenomenon, and collapsible wave function are standard phraseology in this type of research which can be verified simply by putting the words in any search engine. "Quantum Flux" is simply a cute way of saying quantum randomness. Matrix (of course) means nothing. Regardless of the "too cute" embellishments, I still believe there may be merit to this kind of research. I do not believe there is any flim-flam or hocus-pocus at work here. There is, however, bad copy writing involved.

KnyteTrypper is correct in saying that most of the gibberish is absolutely genuine quantum physics gibberish. I'm completely convinced this guy is a serious researcher. But whether he's going somewhere or headed down a dead end... ? As I said (above) it's "solar bicycle stuff" at this point.

Regards,
Title: Virtual Intelligence Matrix
Post by: Art on February 01, 2005, 04:59:43 am
I couldn't agree more!<g>