From: Anders Sandberg (nv91-asa@nada.kth.se)
Date: Sun Jan 26 1997 - 15:18:34 MST
On Sat, 25 Jan 1997, Chris Hind wrote:
> On the topic of creative machines I came up with the idea, could creativity
> be caused by foul ups in the functioning of our brain much like
> hallucinogenics do but on a far tinier level?
As I understand it, the core of creativity seems to be randomness, the
ability to take something unrelated and combine it with the problem at
hand, unfolding its consequences and potential, and then more or less
rationally evaluate it. The random part might quite well be due to
misfirings and micro-hallucinations (which occur all the time), but most
work is done in the later stages.
Too much random combinations, and you get the classic psychedelic problem
of thinking you understand the Meaning of Life but all you can write is
"Flossing is important", too much analysis, and you strangle your
creativity with self-criticism.
> Should we simulate the
> effects of acid on AIs to generate creativity?
Might be worth trying. One could imagine an AI with a "randomness" level
it could adjust...
> Perhaps some of us have more
> fucked-up brains than others resulting in our greater creativity while
> other far better functioning brains become engineers. I don't mind having a
> fucked-up brain!
Well, I have found engineers to be more creative than most people. I
think it is thanks to their analytical abilities, rather than despite them.
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