Before going in-depth with the work done by John Searle, it is important to be aware of the differences between certain things: the difference between strong AI and weak AI, the brain and the mind, and simulation and duplication. First, we’ll look at the difference between strong AI and weak AI. Like many other things, there are many forms and levels of artificial intelligence. According to an article from the blog site, Medium, strong AI has the ability to adapt to changes in surrounding environments and to plan for the future by using prior experience and knowledge; strong ai can also apply knowledge pulled from different domains (James). Contrastingly, weak AI “refers to any AI that responds to situations based on a pre-fed set of information” (James). Throughout Searle’s work that we explore, he only refers to AI in the version of strong AI. He defines the difference between strong AI and weak AI. In strong AI, the computer is not only a tool to study the mind but also has a mind on its own with cognitive states when programmed accordingly, while in weak AI, computers are only just a “very powerful tool” to study the mind (Searle 417).
Second, we’ll define the difference between the brain and the mind. While the brain is the actual organ and system inside of your head, the mind is what allows you to be yourself. Your mind is your consciousness that includes your thoughts, opinions, beliefs, feelings, and all the things that make us “human”. In simple terms, you can physically see one’s brain but you can’t see one’s mind. Before reading Searle’s work, I never really thought about the actual difference between a brain and a mind, however, the difference is worlds apart when you think about it. In relation to, say, a computer program and a computer. The brain is the computer and the mind is the computer program: “the mind is to the brain as the program is to the hardware” (Searle 421). I bring up this comparison because Searle mentions the brain and mind in relation to strong AI. He explains how we don’t need to understand the brain to have strong AI since it is the mind that we are more focused on (Searle 421).
Third, we’ll clarify the difference between simulation and duplication. Searle speaks on how machines can duplicate anything humans do but will never be able to actually simulate humans because they complete these human-like actions by programs that are man-made (Searle 423). So, how is a duplicating different from simulating. Duplicating is simply copying the same actions and even the same thoughts. However, in order to completely simulate something like the human mind, every action and thought needs to be created the same way. If the programs that duplicate minds are made by anything other than the running program itself, that means the program is simply being told what to do and things like our minds don’t work that way. For the sake of not getting confused, imagine yourself playing a virtual reality game. Your character in the virtual reality game is simply a duplication of yourself. Every move it makes, you are making that move to force the character to do the same: the character is a double of you. Now imagine playing The Sims game. Your characters in The Sims game are a simulation of a human because while you are away from the game entirely, it has a mind of its own; it eats, sleeps, and does things without any control from you (of course this is not taking into consideration that The Sims game is a computer program). This also relates back to comprehending the difference between the brain and the mind. The duplication does not have a mind of its own while the simulation does. Defining the difference between strong AI and weak AI, the brain and the mind, and duplication and simulation will help us better understand the thoughts of Searle within his work.
