Jeff Hawkins

“I do two things. I design mobile computers and I study brains.”

“At times in the past, the U.S. did not restrict the number of immigrants.”

“The key to artificial intelligence has always been the representation.”

“Whatever the difference between brilliant and average brains, we are all creative. And through practice and study we can enhance our skills and talents.”

“I believe consciousness is simply what it feels like to have a neocortex.”

“Prediction is not just one of the things your brain does. It is the primary function of the neo-cortex, and the foundation of intelligence.”

“Although it requires some adjustment by those already here, immigration has made the U.S.A. the most prosperous nation on Earth.”

“You and I are streaming data engines.”

“A lot of America's success is because we're an open society and haven't brought dogma or religious influence into the American political process.”

“You can't imagine how much detail we know about brains. There were 28,000 people who went to the neuroscience conference this year, and every one of them is doing research in brains. A lot of data. But there's no theory. There's a little, wimpy box on top there.”

“If you look at the history of big obstacles in understanding our world, there's usually an intuitive assumption underlying them that's wrong.”

“Annexation is probably the most valuable tool a city has to ensure orderly growth and development.”

“Our bodies are hanging along for the ride, but my brain is talking to your brain. And if we want to understand who we are and how we feel and perceive, we really understand what brains are.”

“'Dream Act' kids are like all other American kids, with the exception that they have to work harder to excel in school, they live in fear of deportation, and they worry about their future.”

“Prediction by analogy -creativity - is so pervasive we normally don't notice it.”

“And, you know, the fact is, if you believe in evolution, we all have a common ancestor, and we all have a common ancestry with the plant in the lobby. This is what evolution tells us. And, it's true. It's kind of unbelievable.”

“In grade school I was taught that the United States is a melting pot. People from all over the world come here for freedom and to pursue a better life. They arrive with next to nothing, work incredibly hard, learn a new language and new customs, and in a generation they become an integral part of our amazing nation.”