[etrautmann]

We're DECADES away from this being relevant. As a PhD student in neuroscience, there is no one in our field who understands even basic neuroanatomy enough to be able to setup a model that implements cognition or awareness, or even knows what those concepts mean in any sort of operational way.

We can do some cool machine learning, but don't worry about the robopacalypse anytime soon.

[jmmcd]

I don't disagree with your point about neuroanatomy. But it may well be that true AI is possible via some avenue other than emulation of existing biological intelligence.

As for "DECADES" -- that is a pretty short time, when you have a very large and important research programme ("Friendly AI", some call it) to carry out. If we postpone this research some decades, and then someone makes a breakthrough in AI without ensuring Friendliness, it could be bad news.

[heriC]

Decades from relevance is still terrifying. I will be alive for decades. My kids will be alive for at least any value not better measured in centuries.

[meric]

If I'm interested in learning more about cognition, should I study neuroscience, or some other field, or is it basically hopeless because no one knows anything important about it?

Would love to hear more of what you say on the subject. I couldn't find your email in your profile but my email is in my profile so if you have time I would definitely hear more about neuroscience over email!

[jamesjporter]

You should wait. I don't work in neuroscience per se, but I am a biologist and I have some friends who are (or have been) neuroscientists. The long and short of it is that the technology and underlying theoretical framework for understanding cognition just aren't in place yet. There's plenty of interesting research being done but the field hasn't had its "quantum leap" yet, as it were. (Examples of this from other fields are Newton's Principia, discovery of DNA structure/Central Dogma of Molecular Biology, etc.).

EDIT: I realized this sounds very discouraging to laymen trying to learn more about science. This was not my intention! By all means, go forth and learn! :) My point was simply that press releases / news often make it seem like science advances at a breakneck pace all the time, whereas reality is that it's fits and starts and often we haven't the slightest clue what we're doing.