VOA慢速英語: IBM公司在人工智能研究上取得重大進展

IBM Takes A Big Step Forward in Artificial Intelligence Research

IBM公司在人工智能研究上取得重大進展

From VOA Learning English, this is the Technology Report.

這里是美國之音慢速英語科技報道。

The American computer company IBM says it has developed a microprocessor -- a computer chip -- that works much like the human brain.

美國IBM電腦公司稱，已經(jīng)開發(fā)出了一種與人類大腦工作原理相似的電腦芯片。

IBM calls the chip TrueNorth. It is the size of a postage stamp. The chip has 5.4 billion tiny parts that work like the human brain's neurons and synapses. Neurons and synapses are the cells and electric forces that carry messages to and from the brain.

IBM公司將這個其命名為TrueNorth，該芯片只有郵票那么大，卻含有54億個近似人類大腦神經(jīng)元和突觸的微小部分。神經(jīng)元和突觸是人類大腦中負責傳遞信息的細胞核電流。

TrueNorth has 1 million neurons and 256 million synapses. The human brain has 100 billion neurons and up to 150 trillion synapses. IBM says it can program the new chip to understand difficult problems and then solve them as humans would.

TrueNorth含有100萬個神經(jīng)元和2.56億個突觸。而人類的大腦有1000億個神經(jīng)元和150萬億個突觸，IBM公司稱，他們可以給這款新的芯片進行編程，使其能夠理解各種難題，并在理解后，像人類解決難題一樣解決問題。

The company says the TrueNorth chip could be used as a brain for search-and-rescue robots. It can also be used for controlling new kinds of wheelchairs or for recording conversations involving several people and then making a printed record of those conversations.

該公司稱，TrueNorth芯片可以作為作為搜救機器的大腦，還能用來控制新型輪椅，或記錄涉及幾個人的談話，并把談話內(nèi)容都打印出來。

TrueNorth is still being tested. But IBM says it could be available for public use in two to three years.

雖然TrueNorth芯片仍在測試階段，但是IBM公司稱，該芯片可能會在兩到三年內(nèi)被公眾使用。

The chip is just one example of machines becoming more and more like humans. This field of study is called artificial intelligence, or AI. Some experts believe computers will someday become more intelligent than humans.

該芯片只是電腦機器變得越來越像人類的一個例子，對這一領(lǐng)域的研究被稱為人工智能(AI).一些專家認為電腦有一天會變得比人類更聰明。

Researchers are trying to develop ways for humans and computers to work together more closely. Someday, humans and computers may be joined. The combination of a human and a computer is called a cyborg.

研究人員正在試圖尋找可以讓人和電腦能更加緊密的一起工作的方法。有一天，人類和電腦可能會連接起來，這種人類和電腦的結(jié)合體被稱為半機械人。

Jonathan Mugan has written a book about the relationship between humans and computers, called "The Curiosity Cycle." He told VOA by email that it is time to prepare for a future where computers have more control over our lives.

喬納森·穆甘寫了一本關(guān)于人類和電腦之間關(guān)系的書，書名為《好奇心周期》。他通過電子郵件告訴美國之音，稱現(xiàn)在是時候準備迎接一個我們的生活會受電腦控制越來越多的未來了。

In his words, "machines are technology. And technology expands as human knowledge expands. By contrast, human intelligence developed through evolution, which is a much slower process."

用他的話來說就是，“機器是科技，而科技會隨著人類知識的不斷擴展而擴展。而相比之下，我們?nèi)祟愔橇﹄m然也在不斷進化中，但是這種進化是一個緩慢得多的過程。”

Mr. Mugan believes that smarter computers are good for humans. He says intelligent machines can help humans solve many of our most difficult problems.

穆甘先生認為智能電腦對人類有好處，他稱，智能電腦可以幫助人類解決很多我們所面臨的最棘手的問題。

But he says "once computers become broadly smarter than humans, it's hard to predict what will happen."

但是他也說：“一旦電腦變得明顯的比人類更聰明，就很難預料將會發(fā)生什么事情。”

And that's the VOA Learning English Technology Report. I'm Jonathan Evans.

這就是本期的美國之音慢速英語科技報道，我是喬納森·埃文斯。