If we can encode a short description of an action, and associate only the amount of time it would take to carry it out, then to make intelligent decisions we would merely need a strictly-imposed timeline. The computer would then prioritize actions based on how long it knows it will take to carry them out. Some actions would be essential, others optional, but all would have an order of operations, and an associated time.

So it seems that an accurate time estimate would be essential to intelligent decision-making. I am always frustrated by the "time remaining" clock that comes up on the screen whenever I give the computer a command. It is never correct. This is one thing that stands in the way of achieving artificial intelligence.

Now the tricky part: the creative mind. This is a simulator that is *not* rational. It combines scenarios in memory and tests them against the database of reactions. It may be that if the dream generates a set of conditions that lead to a preprogrammed action that really doesn't make sense, that a "halt" command is added to the database excluding that combination for a time until they are clarified. After all we don't want to be doing something spontaneously if it doesn't make sense.

Permutations cannot be the route to creativity since a small number of objects lead to an astronomically huge set of permutations. There must be some kind of bias involved, or a seed, to reduce the number of scenarios.

Opinions?