Robert J. Marks II

Director, Senior Fellow, Walter Bradley Center for Natural & Artificial Intelligence
Robert J. Marks Ph.D. is Senior Fellow and Director of the Bradley Center and is Distinguished Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Baylor University. Marks is a Fellow of both the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) and Optica (formerly the Optical Society of America). He was the former Editor-in-Chief of the IEEE Transactions on Neural Networks and is the current Editor-in-Chief of BIO-Complexity. Marks is author of the books Non-Computable You: What You Do That Artificial Intelligence Never Will Never Do and The Case For Killer Robots. He is co-author of the books For a Greater Purpose: The Life and Legacy of Walter Bradley, Neural Smithing: Supervised Learning in Feedforward Artificial Neural Networks and Introduction to Evolutionary Informatics. For more information, see Dr. Marks’s expanded bio.

Archives

The Hype and Limitations of Generative AI

Robert J. Marks and Gary Smith
January 16, 2025
On this episode, host Robert J. Marks concludes his conversation with economics professor and author Gary Smith about the hype and limitations of generative AI. Smith is the Fletcher Jones Professor of Economics at Ponoma College and a frequent contributor to Mind Matters News. In this portion of the conversation, Smith and Marks explore the hype around artificial general intelligence (AGI) and explain how current large language models lack true reasoning and creative capabilities, despite regular claims of impending AGI from people like OpenAI’s Sam Altman. Smith provides examples demonstrating how these models make nonsensical or incorrect responses to logical problems and financial questions, highlighting their inability to understand context and perform meaningful reasoning. …

The AI Bubble: Lessons from Past Financial Bubbles

Robert J. Marks
January 9, 2025
In this installment of the Mind Matters News podcast, host Robert J. Marks begins a conversation with economics professor and author Gary Smith about the hype of generative AI and its impact on the market. Smith is the Fletcher Jones Professor of Economics at Ponoma College and a frequent contributor to Mind Matters News. Smith argues that generative AI, embodied in services like ChatGPT and Google’s Gemini, exhibits many characteristics of past market bubbles, including excessive hype, lack of profitability, and unrealistic expectations. Smith holds that generative AI models have limited practical economic value. They may be good at finding statistical patterns but struggle to distinguish meaningful, useful correlations from coincidental ones. Smith describes the fundamental …

Monday Micro Softy 8: Who’s the Better Barber?

There are only two barbers to choose from and the choice may not be as easy as it looks. Also, here's the answer to Who's the Champ?
Robert J. Marks
January 6, 2025
Micro Softy 7 is an illustration of Simpson’s Paradox, which says that averaging averages doesn’t always work.

Semper Fi: A Marine’s Perspective on Faith, Duty, and Service

Robert J. Marks
January 2, 2025
In  this episode, host Robert J. Marks continues his conversation with retired major general Bobby Hollingsworth about his experiences in the U.S. Marines and his work advocating for reservists at the Pentagon. Hollingsworth unpacks the meaning of “Semper Fi” in the Marine Corps and the importance of supporting his fellow marines as riflemen on the pointed end of the spear. He discusses his efforts at the Pentagon to educate employers on the Uniform Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERA) and the value that reservists can bring to civilian workplaces. Hollingsworth shares his personal experiences defending the right to hold a voluntary Bible study for Pentagon employees, which faced opposition before ultimately being allowed to continue. Hollingsworth draws …

Monday Micro Softy 7:  Who’s the Champ?

A single number does not always determine which player is better
Robert J. Marks
December 30, 2024
And here’s the answer to why young Clay’s arithmetic didn’t make sense at first to Claude — but then Claude realized that the boy was right.

The Radio Frequency Spectrum as a Finite Natural Resource

Robert J. Marks
December 26, 2024
On this episode of Mind Matters News from the archive, hosts Robert J. Marks and Austin Egbert welcome Andrew Clegg to the show to discuss the radio spectrum as a finite natural resource and how to best manage it. The conversation kicks off with an overview of the electromagnetic spectrum and the different frequency bands used for various wireless technologies. Clegg notes the challenges brought on by exponential growth in spectrum demand, including technical challenges like propagation characteristics and energy efficiency as frequencies increase. Clegg provides insights on the challenges of managing the finite spectrum resource, the tradeoffs involved, and potential future developments that could reshape the landscape. Additional Resources The US spectrum chart. Podcast …

Only in America

My discussion on this week’s podcast with Major General Bobby Hollingsworth (ret.) prompts a look at some of the many people that America has freed to be their best
Robert J. Marks
December 24, 2024
Despite our different faiths, my Muslim colleague Mohamed El-Sharkawi was a steadfast ally and when his mosque was defaced post 9-11, Christians protected it.

Monday Micro Softy 6: Bad Adding?

It looked to Claude like young Clay’s numbers didn’t add up but he seemed confident. What did he know that his father at first didn’t?
Robert J. Marks
December 23, 2024
And here’s the answer to the probability question: What are the chances that Claude and Chloe’s younger child is also a boy?

From Dairy Farm to Fighter Pilot: More With Veteran Bobby Hollingsworth

Robert J. Marks
December 19, 2024
Major General Bobby Hollingsworth discusses his life journey from growing up on a dairy farm to becoming a fighter pilot in the U.S. Marines. He describes how he was inspired to pursue aviation from a young age after seeing his uncle, a WWII Hellcat pilot. Hollingsworth discusses the discipline and work ethic he developed from growing up on a farm, as well as the importance of fundamental skills like reading maps and using a compass. He explains the differences in mindset and mission focus between Air Force, Navy, and Marine pilots, with the Marines emphasizing close air support for ground troops. Hollingsworth also provides technical insights into the evolution of fighter jet technology, from the challenges of dogfighting to the increasing role of stealth and long-range missiles. …

The Man Behind the First Billion-Dollar AI Business

Robert Hecht-Nielsen (1947‒2019) was a significant figure in the second wave of AI. His company specialized in fraud detection
Robert J. Marks
December 19, 2024
He led a full life marked by remarkable achievements but he also had a near-death experience that transformed him spiritually.

Micro Softy 5: The Puzzle of Claude and Chloe’s Two Kids

Also, here’s the answer to the puzzle of how, twelve years earlier, Claude escaped the trap Clifton Clowers set for him, so he could marry Chloe
Robert J. Marks
December 16, 2024
Puzzle: We learn that one of Claude and Chloe's two children is a boy. With a 50–50 ratio, what chance is there that the other child is a boy too?

Military Preparedness and the Path to Peace: An Interview with Veteran Bobby Hollingsworth

Robert J. Marks
December 12, 2024
Major General Bobby Hollingsworth had a distinguished 38-year career as a U.S. Marine fighter pilot and in leadership roles including commanding the Marine Corps Reserve Support Command and serving as vice commander of Marine forces in the Pacific. After retiring, he was appointed by President George W. Bush to lead the National Committee for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve. In this interview, Hollingsworth shares his perspective on the current state of U.S. military leadership and preparedness, arguing that the military has lost its focus on its core mission of war-fighting. He calls for a return to the principles of “peace through strength” and decisive military action when required, rather than the “pulled punches” and lack of strategic objectives …

Flashes of Genius: An Interview with Touch Screen Inventor Hal Philipp

Robert J. Marks
December 5, 2024
On this episode of Mind Matters News out of the archive, we share a memorable conversation with Hal Philipp, an inventor and entrepreneur who pioneered the capacitive touch screen technology that is now used in billions of devices worldwide. Philipp shares the story of his early work on optical sensors for automatic doors and faucets and how it led to patenting his capacitive sensing technology that he licensed to companies like Motorola and Apple. Philipp discusses the challenges of working with large corporations and the experience of founding his own company to manufacture and market his technology. He shares the key insights and “flashes of genius” that led to his major inventions, and he’s got advice for aspiring entrepreneurs seeking support and funding for their …

Monday Micro Softy 3: The Wolverton Mountain Puzzle

Here’s the answer to Dead President’s Club as well — and smart STEM people often DON'T get that one right
Robert J. Marks
December 2, 2024
Mind Matters News is pleased to offer a new series, “Monday Micro Softies,” from our director, Robert J. Marks, a series of puzzles that illustrate the ways of thinking needed in the computer industry today. – Eds. Here’s today’s puzzle, in honor of Claude King, followed by the solution to last Monday’s puzzle, The Dead Presidents Club. In 1962, King recorded the song Wolverton Mountain. It’s the story of Claude’s love of Clifton Clowers’ daughter — we’ll call her Chloe — who lives on the top of Wolverton Mountain. (Listen here.) It’s a catchy tune. Here’s a puzzle augmenting the song’s story: Claude starts climbing to the top of Wolverton Mountain at 6 AM. There is only one road, and it takes him three hours. Sometimes he jogs. Sometimes he …

Monday Micro Softy 2: The Dead Presidents’ Club

The answer to Monday Micro Softy 1: The Round Trip is here too
Robert J. Marks
November 25, 2024
Today’s puzzle: How would a girl who knew nothing of American history immediately know the name of at least one of three early Presidents who died on July 4?

The Significance of Mirror Neurons: More With Dr. Mihretu Guta

Robert J. Marks
November 21, 2024
On this episode, host Dr. Robert J. Marks continues his chat with Dr. Mihretu Guta about exploring the philosophical challenges surrounding the neuroscientific research on mirror neurons. What the heck is a mirror neuron you ask? As described in Part 1, it’s a type of brain cell that fires when a person observes an action being performed, as well as when the person performs the same action themselves. They’re helping scientists understand the nature of human empathy. In the second half of the discussion, Dr. Guta explores the philosophical challenges surrounding the neuroscientific research on mirror neurons. First, they discuss the “easy problem” of correlating neural activity with cognitive functions, and the difficulties of ensuring the research is not …