>>35,36
I doubt OpenCog or other such projects will be the first to the gate. The first ones will probably be actual simulated human brain projects, right down to electrical and protein/chemical messaging pathways, like the IBM/CERN Blue Brain project, you don't need to figure out all of the higher level abstractions, you just need to simulate the low-level mechanics. And once you get to the point, you have a much better platform on which to reverse engineer and identify abstractions to improve and extend the system into something that is self-improving. Also, I'd hate to be intelligent entity that the IBM/CERN researchers are essentially performing virtual brain surgery on. I wonder how scientific ethical standards will view all of this.
In fact, Elizier better start trying to get hired by a place like IBM or he will find himself and his organization becoming overshadowed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LS3wMC2BpxU