Jonathan Paulson comments on The first AI probably won’t be very smart

[Jonathan Paulson]

Is it necessary that we understand how intelligence works for us to know how to build it? This may almost be a philosophical question.

This is definitely an empirical question. I hope it will be settled “relatively soon” in the affirmative by brain emulation.

[mwengler]

An empirical question? Most people I know define understanding something as being able to build it. Its not a bad definition, it limits you to a subset of maps that have demonstrated utility for building things.

I don’t think it is an empirical question, empirically I think it is a tautology.