Briefs

St. Louis Post-Dispatch (01/25/04); Hesman, Tina

Imagination Engines CEO Stephen Thaler's experiments with neural networks revealed that disrupting their connections with noise caused the networks to generate new ideas. These trials were the beginnings of Thaler's Device for the Autonomous Generation of Useful Information, a.k.a. the Creativity Engine, which offers a far more flexible model for autonomous computing than logical, rule-based artificial intelligence systems, according to University of Memphis computer scientist Robert Kozma. Creativity Machines feature built-in critic networks that choose the best ideas and provide positive feedback, which gives the network the impetus to generate even better ideas. The Creativity Machine designed the Oral-B CrossAction toothbrush via brainstorming between two neural networks; in another experiment, the device composed 11,000 new songs from a sampling of Thaler's Top 10 hits spanning 30 years, and Thaler wagers that the machines' composing skills could be refined with a human-trained critic network. Other possible applications of the Creative Machine include collision avoidance and intrusion prevention technology in which the machines can alert motorists and security industries to impediments, pedestrians, or intruders, while spy agencies want to map out the Internet and identify anomalous behavior with Thaler's invention.

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