7th September 2006, 2:02 PM
http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/06/aisee...crunching/
As much as dedicated processing for this sort of thing seems a good idea, there is one downside. The one difference between this and physics processing is we pretty much have a full model of "every day" physics, the newtonian stuff, so not much needs to be changed. On the other hand AI is something that has a LOT of different approaches and indeed goals behind it, and is VERY subject to revision. While one might hang on to that physics card for some time, I have a feeling an AI card is going to see updates on a time frame closer to how often video cards get updated. Entirely new methods of designing AI and new goals will require completely different processing architecture than current design for simple things like "line of sight" and "path finding". Unlike the physics problem, this seems more like "step one" than "mission accomplished".
As much as dedicated processing for this sort of thing seems a good idea, there is one downside. The one difference between this and physics processing is we pretty much have a full model of "every day" physics, the newtonian stuff, so not much needs to be changed. On the other hand AI is something that has a LOT of different approaches and indeed goals behind it, and is VERY subject to revision. While one might hang on to that physics card for some time, I have a feeling an AI card is going to see updates on a time frame closer to how often video cards get updated. Entirely new methods of designing AI and new goals will require completely different processing architecture than current design for simple things like "line of sight" and "path finding". Unlike the physics problem, this seems more like "step one" than "mission accomplished".
"On two occasions, I have been asked [by members of Parliament], 'Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?' I am not able to rightly apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question." ~ Charles Babbage (1791-1871)