May 17, 2008 | Lucas
Let me start off this post with by providing an excerpt from a conversation I had with my good friend Chris Lee on MSN (the actual phone number was modified for privacy reasons).
Chris says:
604-986-1849
Chris says:
896*
Can you determine what the correct phone number is? Have you ever thought how easily you understood that there was a mistake and even *where* it was and how to correct it? I must admit that the brain is an amazing device for detecting patterns, even in the most abstract sense.
Now imagine trying to make a computer do all the things that your brain can manage without you having to even exert any effort. Regex and DFAs can only take us so far before they become overly complicated or even impossible to design for certain tasks.
That doesn't mean that humans have given up trying to make machines that (attempt to) simulate the human brain. The field of cognitive sciences is all about that: trying to create artificial intelligence, making computers act like humans, and all that good stuff.
Within the field of cognitive sciences, I have recently become interested in artificial neural networks which are, among other uses, a powerful method used by programmers to break CAPTCHAs (the annoying images that you are required to fill out before registering on some sites). The advantage that neural networks offer is the ability to train them. You could pass a few thousand images along with their solutions through the neural network, and it will actually learn how to identify it, becoming better and better at figuring out subsequent ones without actually needing a solution (The Office parallelism). Isn't that so awesome? (Rhetorical question, the answer is obviously yes.)
So the next time you are trying to recognize an image, read an article or do an other simple task, take a moment to think how hard your brain is working for you and give be sure to give it some credit!