Universal Intelligence: A Definition of Machine Intelligence

A fundamental problem in artificial intelligence is that nobody really knows what intelligence is. The problem is especially acute when we need to consider artificial systems which are significantly different to humans. In this paper we approach this problem in the following way: We take a number of well known informal definitions of human intelligence that have been given by experts, and extract their essential features. These are then mathematically formalised to produce a general measure of intelligence for arbitrary machines. We believe that this equation formally captures the concept of machine intelligence in the broadest reasonable sense. We then show how this formal definition is related to the theory of universal optimal learning agents. Finally, we survey the many other tests and definitions of intelligence that have been proposed for machines.Comment: 50 gentle page

International Cooperation for the Conservation and Sustainable and Fair Use of Biodiversity

This thesis contributes to the modelling of intergovernmental cooperation for global biodiversity conservation and analyses multilateral cooperation on the genetic resource market. The inter- and transdisciplinary research consists of game theoretic modelling, economic analyses, the study of political and legal documents, as well as the conduct of expert interviews. The game theoretic biodiversity conservation model developed in this thesis considers countries that are heterogeneous in ecosystems and wealth. The ecosystems are characterised by imperfect ecosystem substitutability as well as an ecosystem resilience threshold and provide local as well as global benefits. One of the main findings of the numerical appraisal is that cooperation improves upon the conservation share in the Nash equilibrium and optimal transfers facilitate a large stable coalition. Moreover, it is evinced that established ‘per-member partition functions’ are currently not applicable to the biodiversity conservation game. Based on expert interview results and technical feasibility and political economy considerations, an alternative benefit-sharing rule is derived. It is shown how this rule can be incorporated into the standard game-theoretic framework once countries have gained sufficient information to form expectations about biodiversity benefits. The main finding on multilateral cooperation on the market for physical genetic resources is that eco-regional cooperation and, even more so, a comprehensive global mechanism have the potential to significantly reduce transaction costs for both supplying countries and customers. They can thereby decrease prices for customers and increase demand, conservation levels and providers’ benefits. A case study of the Andean Community’s joint access legislation shows that the member countries realise few of their potential cooperation advantages. Collusion on the physical genetic resource market will not lead to high benefits as market power is limited by substitutes in form of ex-situ resources and freely available genetic information. The economically preferable instrument of a comprehensive global mechanism, in turn, is politically not feasible any time soon due to path dependencies and an arguably narrow understanding of national sovereignty.Diese Dissertation erweitert bestehende Ansätze zur Modellierung von zwischenstaatlicher Kooperation für den globalen Biodiversitätsschutz und analysiert multilaterale Kooperation auf dem Markt für genetische Ressourcen. Die inter- und transdisziplinäre Forschung beruht auf spieltheoretischen Methoden, ökonomischen Analysen, der Auswertung politischer und juristischer Dokumente sowie der Durchführung von Experteninterviews. Das in dieser Dissertation entwickelte spieltheoretische Biodiversitätsschutz-Modell berücksichtigt Länder, die heterogen in Ökosystemen und Wohlstand sind. Die Ökosysteme sind durch imperfekte Substituierbarkeit sowie Resilienzschwellen charakterisiert und stiften lokalen wie auch globalen Nutzen. Eines der zentralen Ergebnisse der numerischen Abschätzung ist, dass Kooperation zu einer Verbesserung des Schutzniveaus im Vergleich zum Nash-Gleichgewicht führt und optimale Transferzahlungen eine große stabile Koalition begünstigen. Außerdem zeigt sich, dass etablierte `per-member partition functions' (spieltheoretisch begründete Ausgleichszahlungen) zurzeit nicht auf das Biodiversitätsschutz- Spiel anwendbar sind. Basierend auf den Ergebnissen der Experteninterviews und unter Berücksichtigung der technischen Realisierbarkeit sowie polit-ökonomischer Erwägungen wird ein alternativer Bestimmungsfaktor für den Vorteilsausgleich entwickelt. Dabei wird herausgearbeitet, wie diese Verteilungsregel in den spieltheoretischen Standardmodellrahmen integriert werden kann, sobald die Länder ausreichende Kenntnisse erworben haben, um den Nutzen der Biodiversität zu bewerten. Das Hauptergebnis zu multilateraler Kooperation auf dem Markt für physische genetische Ressourcen ist, dass ökoregionale Kooperation und vor allem ein umfassender globaler Mechanismus das Potential haben, die Transaktionskosten sowohl für Anbieterländer als auch Nutzer signifikant zu verringern. Dadurch können sich die Preise für die Nutzer reduzieren und die Nachfrage, das Schutzniveau und die Gewinne der Anbieterländer erhöhen. In einer Fallstudie zur Andengemeinschaft wird aufgezeigt, dass die Mitgliedsländer wenige ihrer potenziellen Kooperationsvorteile realisieren. Kollusion auf dem Markt für physische genetische Ressourcen wird keine hohen Gewinne erzielen, da die Marktmacht durch Substitute in Form von Exsitu Ressourcen und frei erhältlicher genetischer Information limitiert ist. Das aus ökonomischer Sicht vorzuziehende Instrument eines umfassenden globalen Mechanismus wiederum ist politisch in absehbarer Zeit aufgrund von Pfadabhängigkeiten und einem wohl engen Verständnis nationaler Souveränität nicht durchsetzbar

Beyond Participatory Design for Service Robotics

The spread of technologies as Cloud and Distributed Computing, the Internet of Things (IoT) and Machine Learning techniques comes with highly disruptive innovation potential and consequent design imperatives. High connectivity of devices and machines is shaping not only sensing and monitoring capabilities, but also describing ever more ubiquitous and diffuse computing capabilities, affecting decision-making with a wide range of assisting tools and methods. With the scaling potential of moving beyond its contemporary application such as industrial facilities monitoring, precision farming and agriculture, healthcare and risk management scenarios, RaaS is bound to involve an increasingly fluid and diverse range of users, shaping new socio-technical systems where practices, habits and relationships will evolve in respect to its adoption. On these premises, applied research at Polytechnic Interdepartmental Centre for Service Robotics in Turin, Italy, focuses on the development of a service robotics platform able to operate on the local scale and capable of adapting to evolving scenarios

The toll of the automobile

Animal-vehicle collisions are a common phenomenon worldwide, causing injury or death to millions of animals and hundreds of human passengers each year. Collision numbers can be significant to species conservation, wildlife management, traffic safety, as well as from an economic and political point of view, and should thus be evaluated from these different perspectives. In this thesis, I assess, evaluate, analyse and predict animal-vehicle collisions with respect to their extent, their effect on populations, and their broad and fine scale distribution. A questionnaire with Swedish drivers indicated that nationwide road traffic in 1992 may caused an annual loss in harvest of common game species of 7% to 97% and of 1% to 12% of estimated populations. Road mortality did not appear as an existential threat to most species, although in badgers (Meles meles), traffic probably is the largest single cause of death. A slow population growth rate coupled with a high proportion of adult badger road-kills is responsible for their sensitivity to road mortality. Provided that road mortality is additive, we predicted that losses due to nationwide traffic might already exceed birth rates and limit badger population growth. In roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) and moose (Alces alces), road mortality is of minor importance to the population. Broad-scale trends and patterns in collision numbers correlate with harvest and traffic volumes, thus providing a simple means to monitor the toll of road traffic. To predict local collision risks with these species, information on animal abundance and landscape composition, on road traffic parameters, and on the spatial coincidence of roads and landscape elements is needed. However, vehicle speed appeared as one of the most important factors determining collision risks with moose, underlining the influence of human factors on collision risks. Successful counteraction therefore requires an interdisciplinary approach that addresses both the animal and the driver in their shared environment

Integrated assessment and valuation of ecosystem services - Guidelines and experiences

EU FP7 OpenNESS project deliverable D33 & D4