[tmsldd]

I often see this metaphor as misleading somehow.. In both cases ( birds and airplanes) the physical phenomenon is exactly the same: lifting effect, which is related to the Venturi effect.. that is: the speed and the pressure of a fluid (in this case, air) depends on the geometry of the components affecting the flow of the fluid. Note that the wing geometry in airplanes is actually similar to the birds.. (of course, airplanes have it optimized by CFD for the speed and altitudes they flight) Although the “flapping” in birds’ wings also alters it’s geometry the main function is to act as the engines...

So, yeah, we need to discover the basic physical principle of the brain.

[mindcrime]

It's not a perfect metaphor, no. But pointing that out doesn't prove that we need a detailed understanding of how the brain works in order to build useful AI tools. Of course I think it goes without saying that more and deeper knowledge of how the brain works is desirable and would be useful. I'm just saying that that kind of knowledge isn't necessarily required in order to achieve useful ends.

Keep in mind the context of what I'm saying, which is responding to this:

Hinton's caught up in a mind boggling batch of mumbo-jumbo that proves no one understands how the brain actually works

I would argue that modern AI/ML is far past "mumbo jumbo" and provides useful tools, even without a detailed understanding of the brain.