Brainlike Computers That Will be Learning From Experience: Design Led by a UK-based African

Kwabena Boahen is the Principal Investigator of Brain in Silicon Research Group, Standford University, UK.

The new product from this group is  Brainlike Computers, Learning From Experience.  

This is the first commercial version of the new kind of computer chip is scheduled to be released in 2014. Not only can it automate tasks that now require painstaking programming — for example, moving a robot’s arm smoothly and efficiently — but it can also sidestep and even tolerate errors, potentially making the term “computer crash” obsolete. 

The new computing approach, already in use by some large technology companies, is based on the biological nervous system, specifically on how neurons react to stimuli and connect with other neurons to interpret information. It allows computers to absorb new information while carrying out a task, and adjust what they do based on the changing signals. 

In coming years, the approach will make possible a new generation of artificial intelligence systems that will perform some functions that humans do with ease: see, speak, listen, navigate, manipulate and control. That can hold enormous consequences for tasks like facial and speech recognition, navigation and planning, which are still in elementary stages and rely heavily on human programming. 

This story is culled from The New York Times.

I believe Africa has the human capital potential to transform into a Knowledge based Economy. It is the prerogative of our leaders to create the enabling enviroment.

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