Perceptual Algorithms | Kayhan Dural | TEDxYouth@ALKEVHS

Introduction - Consciousness in Humans and Machines

• The topic of discussion is whether consciousness is exclusive to humans or if it can also be achieved by machines with sufficient information processing capabilities (43s).
• The concept of consciousness and its relationship with machines is being explored, considering the increasing capabilities of machines in understanding and processing information (39s).
• A company called Conscious SL was founded, focusing on creative work, marketing, and combining artificial intelligence to create innovative projects at the intersection of these three fields (2m24s).
• The company's name is derived from the question of consciousness, and it also has a mobile application that provides personalized recommendations using artificial intelligence (2m43s).

Digitalization and Perceptual Algorithms

• The topic of digitalization is also mentioned as a relevant and interesting subject (3m16s).
• The discussion will focus on perceptual algorithms, exploring how they can be used to create and understand visual content (3m33s).
• The concept of reality is also touched upon, suggesting that it is a construct that can be broken down to its mathematical definition (3m54s).

Reality vs. AI-Generated Content

• The audience is presented with a series of images and asked to guess whether they are real or created using artificial intelligence (4m23s).
• The results of the audience's guesses are shared, showing that the majority thought one of the images was real, while a smaller number believed it was created using artificial intelligence (4m42s).
• The images shown are entirely produced by Artificial Intelligence, and it is becoming increasingly difficult to distinguish between what is real and what is AI-generated, with 2024 being a transition year for this concept (5m4s).
• The topic of what is real and what is AI-generated is becoming increasingly critical, and it is possible that this subject will be the focus of a future presentation (5m14s).
• Currently, machines have reached a point where their productions are almost indistinguishable from reality, but the focus is shifting to understanding how machines perceive and process information (5m47s).
• A potential future profession for some individuals in the audience could be related to understanding and working with machine perception and algorithms (6m6s).

History and Development of Artificial Intelligence

• The concept of Artificial Intelligence and its development is not new, and it has been a part of our lives for a long time, with its roots dating back to the 1950s (6m54s).
• In 1959, Cahit Arf published a paper on machine thinking and neural networks, which laid the groundwork for modern AI models, including large language models and diffusion models (7m1s).
• The development of algorithms and computer science has led to the continuous advancement of Artificial Intelligence, making it an integral part of our lives (7m52s).
• The development of artificial intelligence (AI) has reached a point where it may be remembered as a significant milestone in human history, similar to the invention of the internet, and may be taught in history classes 200 years from now (8m10s).

Evolution of Intelligence

• The evolution of intelligence is believed to have started with single-celled organisms reacting to light, which marked the beginning of information processing (8m29s).
• This process continued to evolve, eventually leading to human intelligence, which has now developed silicon-based intelligence (8m45s).
• The evolution of intelligence is not limited to biological processes and may continue to advance through non-biological means (8m55s).

Learning in Organisms and AI Systems

• Simple organisms, such as worms, can learn through trial and error, while more complex organisms, like primates, can learn by observing others (9m56s).
• Current AI systems can learn from vast amounts of data, including trillions of words and parameters, and can even generate text based on the context (11m7s).
• These systems can predict the next word in a sequence and have the capacity to create content, such as a poem, based on a given theme, like "perception" (11m37s).
• However, the full extent of how these models work is not yet fully understood, even by the people who created them (11m53s).

Perception and its Complexities

• The concept of perception involves our senses, thoughts, and emotions, and is a complex topic that is difficult to define (12m39s).
• Our senses, including sight, sound, touch, and smell, play a crucial role in shaping our perception of the world (12m41s).
• The nature of thought itself is also not well understood and is difficult to define, with some describing it as a pattern, energy, or something else (12m54s).
• When thinking about an event or image, a story is created in the mind, and this process is related to how perception is formed, which is a complex phenomenon that can be predicted but not replicated (12m59s).
• The reality experienced by an individual is subjective and cannot be proven to be the same for others, as it is based on the model created in the mind from the reflection of light from objects (14m12s).
• The colors perceived by individuals may not be the same, and it is impossible to prove that the color red seen by one person is the same as the color red seen by another (14m38s).

Machine Perception and Consciousness

• The formation of reality in machines is a topic of interest, and driverless cars are an example of how machines can perceive and respond to their environment (15m6s).
• The question of whether machines have perception or consciousness is a topic of discussion, and it is unclear whether they truly experience the world in the same way as humans (16m22s).
• The example of a room with a person, light, and sound is used to illustrate the concept of perception and how it can be different for each individual (17m6s).
• The idea of a "Surprise Guest" with a playful streak is introduced, but it is unclear what this refers to in the context of perception and reality (17m40s).
• The conversation between individuals and the concept of perception is ongoing, and it is a complex topic that is still being explored (18m10s).

AI in Music, Gaming, and Communication

• Two AI models, which are actually the same model, can work together to create a song, demonstrating their capabilities in understanding and generating music (18m13s).
• A computer can be trained to understand and analyze a person's screen while they are playing a game like Minecraft, allowing it to provide information and assistance in real-time (18m38s).
• This technology enables a computer to see and understand what is happening on the screen, allowing it to provide relevant information and assistance (19m43s).
• A person can interact with a computer as if they were talking to another person, with the computer responding and adapting to their actions and questions (19m52s).
• On average, a person hears around 8 billion words in their lifetime, while an AI system can update its dataset with 8 trillion words in just one month, allowing it to learn and improve at a much faster rate (20m12s).
• The question of whether AI can become self-aware and have its own thoughts and feelings is a complex and debated topic (20m50s).
• A model like the Vision of Sabancı model, which is used in iPhones, can be used to demonstrate how AI can be used to facilitate conversations between people and machines (21m28s).
• The use of AI in communication and interaction raises questions about how we will interact with and treat robots and other machines that can think and feel like humans (22m45s).

Conclusion and Discussion

• The provided text does not contain any information about perceptual algorithms or the topic of the YouTube video, as it appears to be a segment in a different language, possibly Turkish, and includes applause, indicating the end of a presentation or talk (23m12s).