from Hacker News

A TensorFlow implementation of the Differentiable Neural Computer

by hurrycane on 4/19/17, 2:09 PM with 29 comments

  • by meri_dian on 4/19/17, 9:24 PM

    The way in which the brain solves classification tasks - a reactionary process that doesn't draw on deliberate reasoning ability - seems similar to how we recreate such abilities in ANN's. So in that sense it seems our AI systems are following the path laid out for us by our own brains.

    However it seems to me (and I may be wrong) that the DNC tries to implement procedural, deliberate thinking in a way divergent from the method implemented by the human brain.

    The brain is clearly capable of providing us with the ability to navigate through complex procedure (like interpreting subway maps), something beyond the abilities of modern AI which mainly excels at more reactionary classification. So the question becomes, why is Deep Mind diverging from the way the brain works in the case of the DNC?

    Is it because we don't actually understand how the brain implements reasoning, or is it because in order to do so in the brain's own way it would exceed our technical capabilities? Or both?

  • by jostmey on 4/19/17, 4:21 PM

    I hate the format of the Nature paper. I have no idea how the algorithm is different than their neural turing machine

  • by zmgehlke on 4/19/17, 7:29 PM

    So, I'll own up to it, I'm kinda dumb (or at least not read up on this).

    Can someone explain what a DNC is?

    Assume I know most CS undergrad topics -- or can at least google them; eg, I know what a Turing machine is but not what a neural Turing machine is.

  • by crawfordcomeaux on 4/19/17, 6:07 PM

    I can't wait to start playing with this. The DNC is a big part of the initial inspiration for how I started modeling and reprogramming my brain!

    A key difference between one of my models for how our brain works and the DNC: there's a mechanism for loading/unloading neural networks into the DNC. Also, the inputs = signals from the brain + body + mind + environment (physical & mental) = the outputs (though some outputs require iteratively applying the inputs a good bit before manifesting).