[MURG] x prize write up

[Joseph J. Strout]

At 2:43 PM -0400 10/11/04, Eric Zilli wrote:

>Suggested Name of Challenge:
>WTN X Prize for Human (or Whole?) Brain Emulation

For what it's worth, I strongly urge you to NOT suggest such a 
far-off challenge.  Goals for this should be something that can 
conceivably be achieved in the next 10-20 years at most.

I've already submitted a suggestion for a prize for the first 
automatic machine capable of  scanning in 1 mm^3 of neural tissue 
with a resolution sufficient to identify 90% of the synaptic 
connections.

That's still a very ambitious goal, with very immediate and practical 
applications that don't require the reader to understand mind 
uploading or its philosophical implications.  And if it were 
achieved, it would lead to rapid progress as the machine were scaled 
up to address larger research questions -- eventually including 
whole-brain emulation.

If you really want to propose a challenge that includes such things 
as emulation as well as scanning, try on something like this: a prize 
for the first group to train any group of organisms, then scan those 
organisms with some mostly automated process, simulate at least the 
trained aspect of behavior, and reproduce the trained response in 
silico.  Nematodes are the most likely subject for something like 
that, though I wouldn't want to restrict it -- some researchers 
prefer other organisms.

Best,
- Joe

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