[Theory] NOW: 4/24 TTIC Distinguished Lecture Series: Lenore Blum and Manuel Blum, Carnegie Mellon University

[Brandie Jones]

*When:    * Wednesday, April 24th at *11:30 AM CT*



*Where:    *Talk will be given *live, in-person* at

                     TTIC, 6045 S. Kenwood Avenue

                     5th Floor, Room 530


*Virtually:  *via Panopto (Livestream
<https://uchicago.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=3c9f9fc5-5c91-405f-8ecb-b109010c39ec>
)



*Who:         *Lenore Blum and Manuel Blum, Carnegie Mellon University

*Title:        *A Theoretical Computer Science Perspective on Consciousness
and Artificial General Intelligence

*Abstract:  * The quest to understand consciousness, once the purview of
philosophers and theologians, is now actively pursued by scientists of many
stripes. We have defined the Conscious Turing Machine (CTM) for the purpose
of investigating a Theoretical Computer Science (TCS) approach to
consciousness. For this, we have hewn to the TCS demand for simplicity and
understandability. The CTM is consequently and intentionally a simple
machine. It is not a model of the brain, though its design has greatly
benefited - and continues to benefit - from cognitive neuroscience, in
particular the global (neuronal) workspace theory. Although it is developed
to understand consciousness, the CTM offers a thoughtful and novel guide to
the creation of an Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). For example, the
CTM has an enormous number of powerful processors, some with specialized
expertise, others unspecialized but poised to develop an expertise. For
whatever problem must be dealt with, the CTM has an excellent way to
utilize those processors that have the required knowledge, ability, and
time to work on the problem, even if it, the CTM, is not aware of which of
the processors these
may be.


About the Speakers

Lenore Blum (PhD, MIT) is Distinguished Career Professor Emerita of
Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University, and Visiting Chair
Professor at Peking U.

Lenore’s research, from her early work in model theory and differential
fields (logic and algebra) to her work in developing a theory of
computation and complexity over the reals (mathematics and computer
science) has focused on merging seemingly unrelated areas. Her book, Complexity
and Real Computation, written with Felipe Cucker, Mike Shub and Steve
Smale, develops a theoretical basis for scientific computation in
continuous domains akin to the Turing-based theory for discrete domains.
Her current research with Manuel and Avrim Blum, inspired by theoretical
computer science and major advances in cognitive neuroscience, lays designs
for a conscious AI.

Lenore is internationally known for her work in increasing the
participation of girls and women in STEM and is proud that CMU has gender
parity in its undergraduate CS program. Over the years, she has been active
in the mathematics community: as President of the Association for Women in
Mathematics (AWM), Vice-President of the American Mathematical Society
(AMS), Chair of the Mathematics Section of the American Association for the
Advancement of Science (AAAS), Deputy Director of the Mathematical Sciences
Research Institute (MSRI), and as Inaugural and current President of the
Association for Mathematical Consciousness Science (AMCS). She is a Fellow
of AAAS, AMS, AWM.

lblum at cs.cmu.edu

Manuel Blum (PhD, MIT) is Bruce Nelson Professor Emeritus of Computer
Science at Carnegie Mellon University, Professor Emeritus of EECS at UC
Berkeley, and Visiting Chair Professor at Peking U.

Manuel has been motivated to understand the mind/body problem since he was
in second grade when his teacher told his mom she should not expect him to
get past high school. As an undergrad at MIT, he spent a year studying
Freud and then apprenticed himself to the great anti-Freud
neurophysiologist, Dr. Warren S. McCulloch, who became his intellectual
mentor. When he told Warren (McCulloch) and Walter (Pitts) that he wanted
to study consciousness, he was told in no uncertain terms that he was
verboten to do so - and why (there was no fMRI at the time). As a graduate
student, he asked and got Marvin Minsky to be his thesis advisor.

Manuel is one of the founders of complexity theory, a Turing Award winner,
and has mentored many in the field who have chartered new directions
ranging from computational learning, cryptography, zero knowledge,
interactive proofs, proof checkers, and human computation. He is a Fellow
of AAAS1, AAAS2, NAS, NAE.

mblum at cs.cmu.edu


Full Disclosure: Lenore and Manuel have a very special relation with TTI-C.


Hos*t: David McAllester <mcallester at ttic.edu>*

-- 
*Brandie Jones *
*Executive **Administrative Assistant*
Toyota Technological Institute
6045 S. Kenwood Avenue
Chicago, IL  60637
www.ttic.edu
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