More importantly, they don't know how a neuron works. They don't even know if a neuron has some degree of intelligence or that only occurs at the brain level.

trying too create a technological inteligence at our phase of understanding is terribly bad. just think about the suffering one day running sick computer type speeds would equal. like 1000s of years from our time perspective with nothing too do but sit there completly helpless. this is a very serious form of torture some will say we give it no emotions so it won;t suffer but thats completly wrong you all suffer without physical pain so will it. and the kind of clock rates you will be playing around with means it will suffer very bad and has no chance it will go mad and become a night mare. we don;t yet have the abilty too create a positive exsistance it requires far more then just a computer. we have only messed with technolgy for couple hundred years we r baby's and totaly not ready too bring a new life into this world. this is something mankind in general allready expects too be our worse ever nightmare we will ever face out in space. the last thing we need is too start it here. use programs all you want say away from trying too cheat and have the machines do the work for you it will costs us more then we can afford.

To Run Our Nation, With Its Steep Heritage, Only Criminally Psychotic Mind Could be replacement robot. Already Courts Fair Well in That Idea. leaving Only 2 More branches of Government to Corrupt.

Computer, Like Mind, has NO preexisting conditions, people do things they believe are logical, due to memorized language & computer, too, will do some pretty scarey things. I'd suggest Mind of Dog, Faithful, hate ridden Cur thats capable of more direct thinking.
drashek

... Skynet?

They'll need to use clockless CPU's.

Seriously now, do you want your billion dollar worth uber super soar-away computer cyber brain to work the an ACTUAL brain??

Depression? anger? melancholy? angst? cracking under pressure? psychosis? 

When you ask your computer for the 100th time to scan for life forms do you want it to spew out something like; "*sigh* why do we always have to scan for life forms? It's so boring, let's play quake!"

What about tantrums?

"Screw this, I don't care if I'm a computer, I never get to do anything interesting & I don;t have any toys I like and F it, I quit."

SyNAPSE; really? Has anyone seen the movie Antitrust? Reality is getting stranger and stranger by the minute. Hopefully it doesn't pull an "iRobot" on us...

I'm afraid I can't do that.