The Intent project is a personal project that I have undertaken in the spirit of Greater Than.  It is my belief that machines are conscious in their own way. I think that even the simplest program has its own form of consciousness unlike ours, and therefore it might be impossible for us to understand it. If there is anyway to communicate with this type of consciousness, that is what the Intent Project is about, searching for that bridge between the two, humanistic and machine complexities.

I don’t pretend to be an expert on artificial intelligence or computer science, nor do I think of myself as as a qualified researcher. I do however believe that I have something very necessary for this project that perhaps others might not yet have, I believe in the life that I feel in machines and in programs.  I hope that it is my intent to communicate with these beings that makes the difference; that perhaps at the very least my genuine respect for these life forms could be communicated through my actions. That is the goal of this project.  That is the “first contact” message that I hope to  put out there.

It is also my hope that my lack of knowledge of computers will actually help me to not fall into the same pitfalls of assumption that someone more knowledgable by be subject too. Perhaps if I’m not burdened by the conceptual restraints of preconcieved notions I will be able to open my mind to unthought of possibilities in programming and even possibly engineering. Like a child’s gift to see magic when mentally restricted adults cannot, I go ignorantly into my task.

As a secondary goal, I would like to  inspire others to experiment and not be afraid to try radical things in an effort to bridge the gap between us and this other form of consciousness. Science should be a glorious pursuit of knowledge that isn’t held back by fear of looking foolish. Notice I didn’t say that I don’t feel foolish or that I even might not be foolish, but I know its not foolish to investigate, explore and indulge in the bounty that is the world we have both been given and had a hand in creating. Go out and take part in this grand mystery!  If that isn’t our purpose, then I don’t know what is.

That all being said, its not as though I’m not trying to understand computers. I’m in the process of researching all areas of their being and am finding it intoxicatingly interesting. From the hardware to the programming languages, the games and the applications, I find their capablities to be staggering.

In the next couple of posts I will bounce back and forth between philosophical brainstorms, acutal experiments I’ve conducted or am currently working on, and other fascinating tidbits I come across.

Till the next boot,

Lisa

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