Are Humans the New Supercomputer?

Are Humans the New Supercomputer?

Aarhus University | April 13, 2016

The saying of philosopher René Descartes of what makes humans unique is beginning to sound hollow. 'I think -- therefore soon I am obsolete' seems more appropriate. When a computer routinely beats us at chess and we can barely navigate without the help of a GPS, have we outlived our place in the world? Not quite. Welcome to the front line of research in cognitive skills, quantum computers and gaming.
Today there is an on-going battle between man and machine. While genuine machine consciousness is still years into the future, we are beginning to see computers make choices that previously demanded a human's input. Recently, the world held its breath as Google's algorithm AlphaGo beat a professional player in the game Go--an achievement demonstrating the explosive speed of development in machine capabilities.
But we are not beaten yet -- human skills are still superior in some areas. This is one of the conclusions of a recent study by Danish physicist Jacob Sherson, published in the prestigious science journal Nature.

Associate Professor Jacob Sherson. "Atlas of Thoughts. Using a computer game, a research group at Aarhus University has found a way to gain deeper insight into the human thought process. The results have amazed the research director, who has discovered a kind of ‘atlas of thoughts’. And that is not all. The group can also reveal which gender is best at solving quantum problems." Source: http://scitech.au.dk/en/current-affairs/news/show/artikel/atlas-of-thoughts/

<more at http://www.rdmag.com/news/2016/04/are-humans-new-supercomputer?; related articles and links: https://www.scienceathome.org/games/quantum-moves/game (Quantum Moves. Play Quantum Moves and contribute to cutting-edge physics research. Your task is to find clever ways of manipulating and moving atoms. By playing, you help physicists in the epic task of building a real quantum computer. This is your chance to push the boundaries of science!) and http://scitech.au.dk/en/current-affairs/news/show/artikel/atlas-of-thoughts/ (Atlas of Thoughts. March 18, 2015)>