On Intelligence

By: Jeff Hawkins, Sandra Blakeslee

Narrated by: Jeff Hawkins, Stefan Rudnicki

Length: 9 hrs and 22 mins

Publisher's summary

Jeff Hawkins, the man who created the PalmPilot, Treo smart phone, and other handheld devices, has reshaped our relationship to computers. Now he stands ready to revolutionize both neuroscience and computing in one stroke, with a new understanding of intelligence itself.

Hawkins develops a powerful theory of how the human brain works, explaining why computers are not intelligent and how, based on this new theory, we can finally build intelligent machines.

The brain is not a computer, but a memory system that stores experiences in a way that reflects the true structure of the world, remembering sequences of events and their nested relationships and making predictions based on those memories. It is this memory-prediction system that forms the basis of intelligence, perception, creativity, and even consciousness.

In an engaging style that will captivate audiences from the merely curious to the professional scientist, Hawkins shows how a clear understanding of how the brain works will make it possible for us to build intelligent machines, in silicon, that will exceed our human ability in surprising ways.

Written with acclaimed science writer Sandra Blakeslee, On Intelligence promises to completely transfigure the possibilities of the technology age. It is a landmark book in its scope and clarity.

Download the accompanying booklet of brain function illustrations, examples, and tests.

©2004 Jeff Hawkins and Sandra Blakeslee (P)2005 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"[Hawkins's] argument is complex but comprehensible, and his curiosity will intrigue anyone interested in the lessons neurobiology may hold for AI." (Booklist)
"[Hawkins] fully anticipates, even welcomes, the controversy he may provoke within the scientific community and admits that he might be wrong, even as he offers a checklist of potential discoveries that could prove him right. His engaging speculations are sure to win fans." (Publishers Weekly)

Stick to the science!!

Any additional comments?

I really did enjoy this book. Very interesting. The only thing that is so irritating is the hogwash about evolution. It is presented as a fact, and used as if it is understood so well, that one could base scientific conclusions on it! NONSENSE!! Just stick to what is actually proven and tested, and the book would have been a 5 star for me. Fine, don't bring God into it if you don't want to.. just leave the fairy tail of pure chance out as well

well reasoned presentation

an electronic brain may be possible but only if the structure of the organic brain is implemented. thus far computers are faster and more accurate at following algorithms but that is not how the brain operates. this book gives a good presentation of how the author believes the brain to function.

the brain

As jeff mention on the epilogue, yes you do find yourself thinking as why or how your brain reacts or response the way it does to particular inputs. this a fascinating read so naturally i highly recommend it.

I found the narrator's voice both soothing & coherently relaxing to go about the book. the voice is just perfect match to my ears as i dove in to the book (well more like he dove in i listen).

Fascinating!!

Thoroughly enjoyable and enlightening for a lay person who knows nothing of brain science. The narration was extremely ‘listenable’ and pleasant. Some sections in the early second half become a bit hard to follow without the visual diagrams referenced - which exist in the printed text. Overall a great listen if this topic is of interest to you!

intriguing

Interesting subject and good presentation. I gained a whole new understanding of our mind and the quest for AI.

It has been the topic of many interesting conversations since I read this book.

It is well read.

How do you think

Have you ever wondered how your mind works? How does it get new ideas, control your body, essentially run your entire life?
Hawkins has some great ideas on how it works.

Jeff presents a real framework! AI wakes.

I was very impressed with his logic and level headed thinking. If Jeff started down a path of thinking, he had good reasons and data behind him. I'm skeptical about people coming up with a "new" framework of how something might work. In my opinion this guy is on the right path, I.T. people need to pay attention and stop holding the fort with outdated theories (unless they are TRYING to miss out on real AI).

A bit technical and cerebral in parts but well rounded, so stick it out if you aren't in the field (it's worth it). We are not looking for a light novel here! He doesn't leave much room for the ghost in the machine, everything boils down to the ordinary. The only disconcerting thing is that we are soul-less predicting machines if you dump the possibility that there are other forces at work with our intelligence as Jeff does. A great book that makes you... think (I couldn't resist). I would recommend this to anyone serious about life. Best part is, the wise author doesn't even pretend to know it all; well done.

Really good book, solid ideas.

This book got me thinking. If the brain is a prediction machine, and quantum mechanics dictates everything is based on probabilities at a quantum level. Is the brains true understanding of the universe tied to it's ability to predict the future and past?

I think the only thing we have now to solve the intelligent computer idea is a quantum computer. they're great at complex algorithms and the more you add together scale on a power scale (2^x) rather than 2 bits + 2 bits = 4 bits of information. i think it was 2^300 = more information than there are atoms in the entire universe.

it makes sense why the cerebral cortex is only a thin sheet and not very large, it doesn't need to be to carry such information. the information of DNA is extremely complex and extremely small.

Good overview of the workings of the neocortex

Would you consider the audio edition of On Intelligence to be better than the print version?

Yes.

What did you like best about this story?

I was exposed to some important ideas in the theory of learning: auto-associative memories; hierarchical learning; and the importance of time and feedback loops in memory, learning, and pattern recognition.

The idea of intelligence defined as the ability to make predictions seems very profound.

What does Jeff Hawkins and Stefan Rudnicki bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The audiobook provided more emotion in the delivery, which helped emphasize the key points.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No

Still actual

I was skeptical reading the reviews about this book. I thought that the book was outdated, because it was written almost ten years ago and neuroscience evolved a lot. But I was wrong. It is a great book, still actual, and many of his concepts I had listened for the first time.