Machine Sensation

A subset of Artificial Intelligence concerned with the design and implementation of various systems for interface with reality, to be utilized by artificially intelligent agents.

Machine sensation can be broken down into five categories corresponding to the five human senses:

- Machine Vision
- Machine Hearing
- etc...

Premises of Strong AI

Strong AI: artificial intelligence that matches or exceeds human intelligence-the intelligence of a machine that can successfully perform any intellectual task that a human being can. [as defined on Wikipedia]

From the above definition, it is my intention to justify a basis of what I call "machine sensation" for the pursuit of strong AI. To do this, I begin with a thought experiment:

Imagine two adult humans, both in a sort of "coma", that is, without sense or interface with reality. The first, person A, was born into the world and grew to adult form, along the way experiencing the world through his senses. The second, person B, was not born, but instead simply "popped" into existence with all of the cognitive functions that person A has. The basic difference between these two individuals is one of experience. Person A has had sensual experience of reality, and continues to have memory thereof. Person B, however, has not. From this difference, we can assert the possibility that person A, by virtue of his memory of past experience, can be said to "think", whereas person B, with no memory, can be said to effectively be "brain-dead".

The above scenario is intended to illustrate the importance of sensual experience, and the memory thereof, on human thought. This importance is where I base my assertion that any pursuit of strong AI, as defined above, should begin with analysis and emulation of the human senses.