Jacob was drastically oversimplifying, because the algorithm (assuming we restrict ourselves to responses to visual stimuli) does not convert one retinal image to some particular, constant output; a conscious being would never respond in the same way to the same image all the time.
Instead, it converts one input brain state plus one retinal image to one output brain state, and brain states consist of a similarly enormous amount of information.
Jacob was drastically oversimplifying, because the algorithm (assuming we restrict ourselves to responses to visual stimuli) does not convert one retinal image to some particular, constant output; a conscious being would never respond in the same way to the same image all the time.
Instead, it converts one input brain state plus one retinal image to one output brain state, and brain states consist of a similarly enormous amount of information.
Perhaps the difference between succeeding brain states, induced by visual input, isn’t all that enormous.