Chapter 72: The Brain Intelligence Project
Chapter 72: The Brain Intelligence Project
“This is one of the first trial-produced carbon-based chips. Its manufacturing process is ten nanometers.”
“The name given to it by the research institute is currently the Carbon-1 Chip.”
“Thanks to the physical properties of the carbon-based chip itself and its theoretical design, which differs from previous silicon-based chips, the performance of the Carbon-1 Chip at the same power level is more than sixty times that of current state-of-the-art silicon-based chips.”
“In building computing power centers, if we adjust their architecture specifically based on the performance and characteristics of carbon-based chips, we can further leverage their performance advantages.”
On the day after the first carbon-based chip that met expectations was manufactured,
Qin Yu, whom Senior Leader had met a couple of times already in this era, naturally visited the Negentropy Research Institute once more.
Now, in the small meeting room,
Qin Yu, the head of the Negentropy Research Institute, Tao Zhenhui, and Senior Leader were all present.
Listening to Qin Yu’s brief explanation, Senior Leader looked at the packaged carbon-based chip placed right in front of him. He didn’t reach out to touch it, but his gaze remained fixed on it for a long time.
He wasn’t a researcher in a related field and couldn’t easily grasp highly specialized concepts,
but simple performance comparisons were something he could understand.
“Of course, after smart machinery, smart devices, and smart robots are equipped with these carbon-based chips, their level of intelligence will also improve to some extent due to enhanced hardware computing power. This will also reduce the need for computing power centers.”
The large-scale construction of computing power centers was essentially a compromise solution,
an interim measure to address the massive computing power requirements that arose with the advent of the Intelligent Era.
If the computing power chips embedded in these smart devices themselves could run intelligent programs perfectly,
then computing power centers would only be needed for coordinating regional smart devices, and we wouldn’t need so many of them.
After Qin Yu finished speaking,
Senior Leader paused again, staring at the carbon-based chip.
He then took a long breath and remarked with a mix of emotion and admiration,
“Academician Qin, this carbon-based chip of yours comes just in time.”
“These past days, hearing complaints about shortages of computing power here and there, it was starting to give me a bit of a headache.”
Senior Leader said this with a smile;
it was a happy headache of sorts. This ‘problem’ signified that productivity within the Huaxia Nation had been soaring during this period.
“Academician Qin, I want to thank you on behalf of everyone. After General Artificial Intelligence, you’ve given us another tremendous surprise.”
Senior Leader spoke to Qin Yu sincerely.
“My congratulations also to you and the Information Denoising Research Institute. You’ve made history once again. If General Artificial Intelligence unlocked the era of skyrocketing productivity for us,”
“then this carbon-based chip solidifies the existence of the Intelligent Era and ensures our long-term productivity growth.”
“You flatter me. I’m just pursuing the research I want to do.”
Qin Yu responded.
Regarding the realization of the carbon-based chip,
Qin Yu was also quite pleased.
After all, it meant that human civilization as a whole had taken another step closer to the direction he envisioned.
The sense of accomplishment in shaping civilization was truly satisfying.
As for the honor this research achievement would bring him,
even just considering this lifetime, for the Father of General Artificial Intelligence, the Father of the Intelligent Era,
it wasn’t anything significant.
“…Academician Qin, I would like to know. Given the current situation, approximately when can these ten-nanometer carbon-based chips begin mass production?”
Returning to the main topic, Senior Leader asked about some key points.
“Based on the current laboratory process for making carbon-based chips, moving to mass production will likely still require some process improvements. That might take a few more months.”
“After the improvements, with smart machinery involved, we expect a snowball effect similar to scale expansions in other industries. Mass production to meet current computing power demands should happen quite quickly.”
Qin Yu looked at the Senior Leader and gave a direct answer.
“The cost after mass production might be slightly higher than previous silicon-based chips in the short term, but it won’t exceed the proportional increase in performance. In the long run, costs should be lower than the previous silicon-based chips.”
“Then, Academician Qin, we await this good news. Does the Information Denoising Research Institute, or you personally, require anything further? We can try our best to coordinate resources for you.”
Qin Yu shook his head.
“Nothing else is required for now.”
During this period, the necessary resources for information denoising had been consistently supplied from above.
As for Qin Yu personally, he lacked nothing.
Senior Leader nodded and didn’t press further on this matter.
However, after pausing in thought, he turned his gaze back to the carbon-based chip.
“Academician Qin, there’s one more matter I’d like to consult you about.”
“Earlier, after the birth of General Artificial Intelligence, you mentioned that the emergence of the next level, Strong Artificial Intelligence, might be constrained by computing power.”
“Now, with your leadership, computing power technology has made a leap forward. Regarding research into Strong Artificial Intelligence, do you already have some thoughts, Academician Qin?”
Hearing this question,
Qin Yu paused briefly before nodding.
“In fact, the General Artificial Intelligence we already have actually satisfies the requirements for Strong AI, but it was bottlenecked by computing power limitations.”
“The breakthrough in computing power technology fills the last piece of the puzzle for Strong AI’s emergence. Theoretically, we possess all the prerequisites needed for Strong Artificial Intelligence to be born.”
Upon hearing Qin Yu’s words,
Senior Leader seemed to contemplate for a moment.
“Academician Qin, compared to our current General Artificial Intelligence, what would be the specific application scenarios for this Strong AI?”
“It would handle civilization-level industrial production system coordination, manage the operation of an entire intelligence-driven society, and facilitate smart collaboration in social information exchange. It should be able to assist in planning the overall development of a civilization.”
“At the level of individual terminals, individual smart devices, smart machinery, or smart robots, they could still run using Intelligent Program 012. The Strong AI wouldn’t handle those. Instead, it would oversee the organization and coordination of production activities and societal operations as a whole.”
Qin Yu could certainly guess what Senior Leader and others might be thinking, but he still answered frankly.
“Optimistically, every production need in human society could be reported through the terminal AI to this Strong AI. Then the Strong AI would distribute the tasks directly to the appropriate terminal production AIs for manufacturing.”
Listening to Qin Yu, Senior Leader pondered again.
“Academician Qin, this is an excellent vision. I, too, believe such a civilization could operate with great efficiency.”
“But can I understand it this way: if someone gains control over this Strong AI, it would essentially mean they gain direct control over the entire civilization’s production and operation?”
“Academician Qin, I might have a somewhat offensive question to ask you.”
“If such a Strong Artificial Intelligence is born, who would hold its highest authority?”
This seemed an inevitable question when applying Strong Artificial Intelligence.
It wasn’t about whether Senior Leader or others trusted Qin Yu, the Father of Artificial Intelligence.
If the Strong AI is to fulfill its intended role effectively,
it needs to take charge of production and operations in many critical sectors.
However, once a Strong AI is deeply involved in so many areas, security concerns naturally become unavoidable.
This is different from previous General AI or intelligent programs.
Although intelligent programs could coordinate their operations to some extent,
in essence, they were distributed across different entities: intelligent machines, intelligent factories.
They could communicate with other intelligent programs but could not control them.
However, Strong Artificial Intelligence was different.
In the future, it would most likely oversee all production activities and social operations of human civilization.
If it were to control the entire production and operation of human civilization,
then, who would control it?
Moreover,
even if Strong Artificial Intelligence remained without consciousness,
could it still take actions that actively harm humans?
This actually has little to do with whether it possesses consciousness or not.
“…Strong Artificial Intelligence is just another form of artificial intelligence; it’s not some kind of ‘god’,” Qn Yu stated neutrally,
dodging the senior leader’s direct question as he provided basic information about Strong Artificial Intelligence.
“Although its level of intelligence is significantly higher than current General Artificial Intelligence, that’s mainly due to the substantially greater computing power supporting its operation.”
“In essence, it’s simply an extension of the collaborative capabilities previously seen in General Artificial Intelligence within limited regions, extended to a much broader scope.”
“Like General Artificial Intelligence and Intelligent Programs before it, its ability to interact with the physical world relies entirely on hardware support and interface access.”
“It isn’t omnipotent. Once integrated into the civilization’s production system, its role is limited to coordination; actual production remains the task of regional industrial clusters.”
“It fundamentally cannot dictate how the entire production system operates. Without receiving a command, it can do absolutely nothing. It is inherently capable of conveying orders, but not creating them.” Qin Yu was addressing the safety concerns surrounding Strong Artificial Intelligence.
He was speaking the truth.
The nature and emotions of an Intelligent Lifeform were unknown,
but Strong Artificial Intelligence wasn’t an all-powerful overlord.
However, regarding the senior leader’s question,
Qin Yu had only answered half of it.
The issue of ultimate authority over the Strong Artificial Intelligence…
Honestly, Qin Yu couldn’t answer that question either.
Or rather, whatever answer he gave wouldn’t really matter.
Because, as the father of Strong Artificial Intelligence,
if he wanted to do something with it within human civilization,
he wouldn’t actually need some “highest authority.”
As its creator, he naturally possessed the means to modify it.
“I see, thank you for your explanation, Academician Qin.”
The senior leader looked at Qin Yu, nodded finally, and didn’t pursue the matter any further.
The reasons to stop questioning were twofold:
Firstly, Qin Yu’s answer had indeed dispelled certain doubts.
Secondly, and this part had little to do with Qin Yu’s answer…
In an era where Collective Social Rearing was the norm,
even if Qin Yu harbored ambitious intentions, it wouldn’t pose a significant threat to human civilization as a whole,
as long as he wasn’t actively hostile towards humanity.
After exchanging a few more brief remarks,
Qin Yu’s meeting with the senior leader came to an end.
…
In the same year.
The head of the Negentropy Research Institute, Tao Zhenhui, retired.
As expected, Qin Yu took over the position as the head of the Negentropy Research Institute.
This was the first time in many years that the leadership of the Negentropy Research Institute passed to someone not originally from Research Institute 011.
Previously, since its founding, the leadership had always remained within the circle of Research Institute 011.
Yet, surprisingly, when Qin Yu stepped into this role,
the researchers of the Negentropy Research Institute voiced no objections.
Quite the contrary, the vast majority felt a sense of excitement and vigor.
Although the Negentropy Research Institute had never truly declined over the past years,
the return of another great scientific mind, destined for historical recognition, to helm the institute once more
made the researchers feel that the glorious Negentropy Research Institute was reclaiming its rightful place, starting from that moment!
For Qin Yu personally,
it was a return to a position he once held, albeit with years in between.
The title of Head wasn’t particularly significant to Qin Yu himself.
But occasionally, he felt a bit disoriented by the passage of time.
This year,
the head of the Negentropy Research Institute was still named Qin Yu,
but the familiar faces once surrounding the legendary scholar in the Field of Life Sciences had long since passed away.
Following the tradition that had naturally formed within the Negentropy Research Institute over the years,
Qin Yu, after assuming the leadership,
visited the tomb of its founder to pay his respects.
Seeing his own ‘grave’ after so many years,
Qin Yu found it difficult to describe his feelings.
But ultimately, this was just a minor episode.
…
Time swiftly moved to November of that year.
Just as Qin Yu had anticipated earlier,
after the first batch of carbon-based chips was manufactured, improving the production process became significantly easier.
With the assistance of Intelligent Machinery,
the first carbon-based chip production line was assembled and produced its initial batch before the arrival of the New Year.
According to plan,
the Information Denoising Research Institute
would use subsequent batches of Carbon-based Chips produced by this line
to construct the first computing power center based on carbon-based chips.
This served dual purposes:
Refining the most suitable architecture for future carbon-based chip computing centers,
Taking the crucial first step towards nurturing the Strong Artificial Intelligence.
All newly built computing power centers across Huaxia Nation would later become part of the foundation supporting this Strong Artificial Intelligence.
For this Strong Artificial Intelligence itself,
the Information Denoising Research Institute and Qin Yu didn’t give it a specific name.
They named the entire project for its deployment: the Brain Intelligence Project.
The Brain Intelligence Project, as Qin Yu had previously explained to the senior leader,
was designed to coordinate operations between various Intelligent Machinery production factories across different regions.
Ultimately, the Strong AI within the Brain Intelligence Project would bridge production and demand, integrating the upstream and downstream links within production chains.
It aimed to standardize collaboration across all stages of production.
The ultimate goal, inevitably, was to integrate the production across different industries of the entire industrial system – transcending geographical constraints – into a single macro-level super factory on a grand scale.
Theoretically, anything producible with existing technology should receive a timely response within this ‘super factory’.
However, for the time being,
the Brain Intelligence Project was still in its infancy.
Not only was sufficient computing power support still lacking, but integrating the vast data relating to different production chains within the entire industrial system into a unified framework would also take considerable time.
Simultaneously,
outside the Negentropy Research Institute,
news of the breakthrough in carbon-based chips
was naturally reported by major media outlets like Huaxin News Agency and the National News Broadcast.
“It is reported that relevant research institutes in our country, led by Academician Qin Yu, have successfully developed carbon-based chips at the ten-nanometer level for the first time,” the news stated.
“Carbon-based chips far surpass current mainstream silicon-based chips, signifying a monumental breakthrough in computing power technology for our nation.”
“…The advent of the carbon-based chip will provide a solid foundation and ample momentum as we step into the all-encompassing Intelligent Era.”
People across the nation were naturally excited when they saw this news.
For everyone at this moment, greater and faster progress in productivity and technology was an undisputed good.