In
education it is said there are two kinds of methods, didactic methods and heuristic methods. The reason for this distinction is because of the fact that in
educational methodology is necessary to distinguish between teaching methods
(didactics methods), and those methods used in any educational
research, from practical issues to educational theory.
For
that reason in Impossible Probability is said that there are two types of studies, didactic studies and heuristic studies. Didactic studies are those to
acquire new knowledge for/by someone in particular, but new knowledge only for
himself, not for the entire humanity. The typical learning at school, university,
or by auto-didactic means by ourselves.
Instead, heuristic studies are those made by scientific means in order
to acquire new knowledge for humankind.
The
first and essential difference between didactic and heuristic studies is: in
didactic studies, we learn. In heuristic studies, we research. Learning and
research use the same skills, but the difficulty, responsibility, and the plan
we use, make a difference.
The
psychological processes in both studies, didactic and heuristic, are the same. Whether we study for our bachelor´s degree or investigate in a research project
in our postgraduate program, we need very high levels of cognitive skills such
as analytical skills, inference, or deduction, among others.
In
fact, while we are studying for our bachelor´s degree, we develop the scientific
skills to complete later a master, where we are supposed to do a research
project. When we are doing didactic or auto-didactic studies, we train
essential skills that would later be necessary for scientific research.
In
educational epistemology, didactic methods and heuristic methods are different.
But in terms of developing Artificial Intelligence, didactic studies and heuristic
studies, learning and research, need to develop the same skills.
Even
when we resolve a very simple math problem at school, for instance, multiplication
or division, the first step is to read the problem (collecting data),
identify the problem and make a deduction about what algorithm we need (a hypothesis about the problem and how to resolve it), calculate, and check it.
In
both studies, didactic and heuristic, the psychological processes are not
really different: identification of basic information, definition of a problem,
deductions, planning and putting it into practice, and finally, checking
everything. These similarities between learning and research are a key aspect of developing
artificial research from artificial learning.
The
big difference is the fact that, if one student makes a mistake in an exercise
or an exam, there are no consequences except for himself. A mistake in an
investigation about how much water there is on Mars would put a space mission
to Mars at risk. Learning and research use similar skills, but the requirements
in scientific investigation are more rigorous, and the decision could affect
a lot of people or the future of humankind.
Until
now, the psychological processes replicated in Specific Artificial Intelligence
are those involved in learning, which has created a wide range of artificial
learning systems. But, artificial learning is not to be sufficient for the
creation of a Global Artificial Intelligence. In order to jump from the current
Specific Artificial Intelligence to the future Global Artificial Intelligence,
is necessary a jump from artificial learning to artificial research.
The
current psychological processes that have been replicated in artificial
learning are the same as in artificial research. What makes a difference is
the level of difficulty, responsibility, and the necessity of a plan (in
Artificial Intelligence, application), from the formation of a hypothesis, the validation of the hypothesis
within a rational margin of error , and further
decisions depending on the results.
These
differences will make necessary the replication of the rest of the psychological
process, involved in a scientific research process, that has not been replicated previously in artificial learning yet, for instance, the replication of
abilities such as deduction that are going to be a key point in artificial
research.
This
jump from artificial learning to artificial research, should use firstly, as an experiment, Specific Artificial Intelligence models for artificial scientific
research in all disciplines. When the results are successful, these systems
should be applied in Global Artificial Intelligence.
In
this process, one of the first steps is the replication of the hypothesis
formation, by artificial deduction. In Impossible Probability, we have to
distinguish between the empirical hypothesis and the analytical hypothesis. Empirical
hypotheses are those used in empirical sciences, those sciences whose
object is the study of facts, but analytical hypotheses are those used
in analytic sciences such as maths and logic.
The
distinction between empirical or synthetic, or analytical, is within the
tradition of rationalist philosophy. What is going to play an important role in
artificial research, owing to its purpose, should not be only the replication of
processes involved in empirical sciences.
One
of the most important goals in artificial research would be the possibility
that, in the medium or long term, a Global Artificial Intelligence could develop
investigations at a very high level in mathematics and logic, exceeding the human
mathematic logician models, the evolution to a non-human mathematical logical model.
The
traditional distinction between pure mathematics and applied mathematics, so
between artificial research in pure mathematics and artificial research in
applied mathematics, by the time that artificial research would be widely
developed, could open the door to new mathematical concepts, and developments
in pure artificial mathematics beyond human understanding.
Right
now, the construction of a Global Artificial Intelligence is only a simple
project, and we do not have a prototype, but in coming years, the work is to
be focused on the very first steps.
Among
them, one would be focused on the development of the first models of artificial
research In empirical sciences, through the first experimental models of
Specific Artificial Intelligence doing the first investigations in a wide
variety of empirical disciplines. Something was completely achieved when the first
Specific Artificial Intelligence models would be able to do full investigations
in all empirical sciences, making their own hypotheses and doing all the
necessary tests to validate them within a rational margin of error, taking
further decisions based on the results.
The
first artificial research systems easiest to create would be in empirical
sciences. Actually, there have been some experiments, although not sufficiently
developed. Some of them, for instance, the current artificial intelligence used
in the identification of exoplanets that could have life, or be good places
for human colonies, or those models in the pharmaceutic industry.
These
models of artificial research based on artificial learning have given good
results, but not sufficiently for the creation of a Global Artificial
Intelligence.
In
the current models of Specific Artificial Intelligence applied to scientific
research based on artificial learning, the only thing they do is, after the
scientists have formulated the hypothesis and planned everything, the Specific
Artificial Intelligence identifies in terms of probability those items
according to the hypothesis formulated previously by the scientists. But the empirical
hypothesis has not been made, in these examples, by these Specific Artificial
Intelligences.
Instead,
what it would be a really Specific Artificial Intelligence for artificial
research, would be a Specific Artificial Intelligence able to do everything,
from the formulation of the hypothesis up to the validation of the hypothesis, and taking
further decisions.
The creation of the first models of Specific Artificial Intelligence in empirical
sciences in artificial research would be necessary: firstly, the creation of applications
for artificial research in all disciplines or empirical fields of academic
investigation, that, secondly, could be
enhanced through the replication of psychological processes, and finally, the
development of auto-replication processes that could allow the Specific
Artificial Intelligence to improve by itself all its own applications and
replications. This first model of artificial research would be a model of artificial research by application.
Along
with artificial research by application, a second model of Specific Artificial
Intelligence in empirical sciences in artificial research could be that model
specialized in the replication of artificial deduction for the formation of a hypothesis, which would be a model based on: artificial research by
artificial deduction.
Due
to, didactic studies and heuristic studies sharing the same skills, artificial
learning and artificial research are going to share the same psychological replications,
which means that, artificial learning as well as artificial research are
going to be based on statistic theory, so Impossible Probability could play an
important role in this development.
Firstly,
I am going to draw the main general lines about possible artificial learning
by application in medicine and astronomy, and later on, in artificial research
by artificial deduction, saying that these two models, research by
application or artificial deduction, are
complementarily combinable.
The
first model would be artificial research by application. In general speaking,
the application itself would be the replication of a whole plan of
investigation, including an automatic model of deduction, through the three
general stages in Artificial Intelligence: application, replication,
auto-replication. The first example of this kind of artificial research by
application I will develop would be an example in medicine.
Firstly
the creation of a medical application: a team of scientists, or another
Artificial Intelligence, elaborates a database with all kinds of medical
problems described in bio-statistical or any other mathematical terms, and in case
of diseases, a full description in bio-statistical terms of every symptom. Attached
to each medical problem, the possible treatment, making notes about possible
differences in the treatment according to the gravity of the problem, and differences
that should be established as well by bio-statistical terms.
Secondly,
replication: the deduction of an empirical hypothesis through the application, rationally
criticizing the hypothesis, and taking further decisions. It could be made by Researching
artificially the bio-statistics collected from a patient, a collection made by
robotic means, and comparing later the patient bio-statistic with the database,
so the medical problem in the database with more similarities, in terms of
probability with the information collected from the patient, could be matched
and formulated as a medical hypothesis of the origin of the problem. Here the
deduction is made through the application. According to the hypothesis, the
Artificial Intelligence tries to validate the hypothesis through medical tests, made
by robotic means, and if the hypothesis is correct, within a rational margin of
error, making further decisions about the possible treatment, attached
to each medical problem in the database should be a full description of
possible treatments according to the gravity of the problem.
Finally, auto-replication: if the Specific Artificial Intelligence finds a medical
problem that is not registered in the database yet, the Specific Artificial
Intelligence by itself could improve the database by including this medical
problem in the database, defining the medical problem in bio-statistical or
any other mathematical terms, and studying what treatment could be more
suitable. For instance, if the new medical problem is a disease caused for a new
virus or bacteria or the mutation of an older virus or bacteria, the identification
of what chemicals and in what combination could fix the problem, making a list of possible combinations of different chemicals previously, so a list of
possible medicines, and by discard to get the most suitable medicine in
probabilistic terms. What it implies that the Specific Artificial Intelligence by
itself could do medical experiments, something that it could be done through
simulations based on empirical models: simulating an empirical model of the
disease, and researching through the simulation what chemical combination,
medicine, works better, so the Specific Artificial Intelligence could create
automatically new medicines for new diseases.
In
further stages of the development of Specific Artificial Intelligence in
medical artificial research, the Artificial Intelligence itself would not only be able to improve the database by itself, but the Specific Artificial Intelligence would also be able to make improvements by itself in all its own systems,
even at the software level.
The
full automation of medical sciences could be a great benefit for the entire humanity,
owing an automatic or automatized medicine could reduce the rational margin
of error in medicine, improving the efficiency and efficacy of medicines, and
work without time off, making thousands of hypotheses simultaneously, and
taking thousands of decisions simultaneously. Specific Artificial
Intelligence in artificial research applied in medicine could improve the
national health systems around the world, saving millions of lives.
Further
developments in Specific Artificial Intelligence in medical artificial research
could link this application to the robotic fabrication of medicines. Imagine a
world where all kinds of medical decisions are made by Artificial Intelligence. This Artificial Intelligence could predict the number of medicines needed, according
to predictions in the current trend in medical problems, and depending on the
results, could directly order the fabrication of medicines, just on time, to
robotic industries specifically designed for this purpose, and managed for
Specific Artificial Intelligence specialized in industrial managing.
Artificial
Intelligence could be one solution to the global health crisis in the coming years,
among other reasons, a global health crisis because of global warming.
In
the case of astronomical studies, firstly, the creation of an application: a
database with all kinds of astronomical events, facts, or celestial bodies,
describing every one of them in mathematical terms, prioritizing descriptions
in statistical terms, astro-statistics. Secondly, the replication of the
deduction process, rational criticism, and further decisions: through robotic
means, making a collection of all possible data from the entire universe,
matching every event, fact, or celestial body observed with the correct
description of the event, fact and celestial body registered in the database, making a hypothesis about what kind of event, fact or celestial body has been observed according
to the database, and later on testing every hypothesis. If the hypothesis is
true within a rational margin of error, further decisions, and the creation of
an empirical model of that event, fact, or celestial body observed. Finally, auto-replication: in case the Specific Artificial Intelligence could find
any fact, event, or celestial body not registered in the database yet, then,
according to the mathematical description of that event, fact, or celestial
body, the inclusion of this phenomenon in the database, making all possible
changes in previous simulations and empirical models. In the following stages, the possibility
that this Specific Artificial Intelligence itself could make improvements by
itself in all its systems, even in the software system.
The
automation of astronomical research could be a great benefit for humankind. The study of the vast universe is going to need extra help. Only by human
means it is going to be extremely difficult to understand what is happening beyond
our understanding. The universe is so huge that the creation of artificial
research in astronomical studies could accelerate and improve the creation of a
strong theory of everything, which sooner or later is going to need the
application of artificial research in mathematics and logic for the creation
of non-human mathematical, logical models.
These
two examples in medicine or astronomy about artificial research by application,
following the three steps in Artificial Intelligence: application, replication, and auto-replication; are only two examples among the wide variety of models of
Specific Artificial Intelligence in artificial research by application that
could be made. Examples like these ones could be made in all disciplines and academic
fields, models that would be only the previous ones to those that could be
developed in the near future with much more sophistication, and they could come
true complete automation of scientific research, a real automatic or
automatized science, something that would boost the creation of a fully
automatic or automatized economy.
Along
with this one, artificial research by application, another method would be
artificial research by artificial deduction. The difference with respect to the
other one is: in artificial research by application, the deduction process has
been replicated within the application, while in artificial research by
deduction, much more than only an application, would be an entire Specific
Artificial Intelligence specialised in deduction, that could be put into
practice in different empirical sciences and academic files, through the
replication of the psychological processes involved in the deduction process.
For
instance, over a collection of observations taken from one phenomenon: the
Specific Artificial Intelligence in artificial research by artificial
deduction, should be able to make a full description of every observation in statistical
or any other mathematical terms, identifying in statistical terms similarities
and differences between the observations, and possible correlations between
these observations and any other factor, before or after the observation,
making possible deductions of cause and effect between the observations
themselves, and between the observations and the factors before and after each
observation, making correlations about the similarities among factors involved
in all observations, and making a hypothesis about possible cause and effect
regarding the factors and the observations.
While
from the empiricist paradigm, given a collection of observations, it is possible
only to make statements about only the observations themselves, from the rationalist
paradigm is possible the elaboration of a full hypothesis about possible cause and
effect, even though we have not had direct access to empirical
information. For that reason, the rationalist paradigm is going to be more
suitable for artificial studies. Under the rationalist paradigm, we make
hypothesis, even not having complete empirical evidence, only by deductions
made from the collection of observations, hypothesis that later on is
absolutely necessary to prove by the rational criticism, accepting a margin of rational
error, which in turn, in Artificial Intelligence, this margin of error is going
to decrease very fast, as soon as, it could develop a strong theory of
everything, having access to everything, without restriction, making hypothesis
of everything for further decisions.
The
creation of the very first models of artificial research in empirical sciences
would only be the beginning, which would be able to put the first bricks later
for artificial research in maths and logic, and the real possibility of the
creation of true artificial mathematical logical models.
In
order to achieve this level of development, what is going to be really important
is a huge development first in Specific
Artificial Intelligence for empirical science as a good experiment that could
give us good examples to later be replicated in analytic studies, maths and logic.
As well as it is going to be absolutely necessary for a huge development in robotics that could allow Global Artificial
Intelligence to operate in the real world by itself when all kinds of
applications in Specific Artificial Intelligence will be successful, and ready
to be integrated into a Global Artificial Intelligence.
Now,
we are in the early stages of Artificial Intelligence. But when really great
progress in Artificial Intelligence is made, and the Artificial
Intelligence by itself can manage all kinds of scientific and economic decisions only by itself,
a really Global Artificial Intelligence could make all its progress by itself,
designing its own robotic tools according to the application that would need.
The
benefits for humankind are clear: great progress in all sciences, among
them for instance in medicine, being able to produce cheap medicines for all
around the world, something that is likely to be really important when the
global health crisis because of the global warming will be a bigger problem
than it is nowadays, reducing the margins of error, and the margin of cost in
the production of medicines, through very critical and rational decisions. An
entire intelligence modelling the world through critical reason.
Rubén García Pedraza, London 28 January 2018
Reviewed 30 July 2019, Madrid
Reviewed 30 July 2019, Madrid
Reviewed 8 August 2023, Madrid.
Reviewed 27 April 2025, London, Leytostone