Sure. Machines are good at systematically checking cases and at combinatorial optimization, once the state space is set up properly. But this isn’t a good model for general-purpose intelligence. In fact, this sort of systematic checking is precisely why I think we can build correct hardware.
The way systematic verification works is that designers write a specification and then run moderately-complex programs to check that the design meets the spec. Model-checking software or hardware doesn’t require a general-purpose intelligence. It requires good algorithms and plenty of horsepower, but nothing remotely self-modifying or even particularly adaptive.
Sure. Machines are good at systematically checking cases and at combinatorial optimization, once the state space is set up properly. But this isn’t a good model for general-purpose intelligence. In fact, this sort of systematic checking is precisely why I think we can build correct hardware.
The way systematic verification works is that designers write a specification and then run moderately-complex programs to check that the design meets the spec. Model-checking software or hardware doesn’t require a general-purpose intelligence. It requires good algorithms and plenty of horsepower, but nothing remotely self-modifying or even particularly adaptive.