Comment Re:You have to start somewhere. (Score 1) 354
Neural networks aren't von Neumann machines. They can be run in software on von Neumann machines, or on custom hardware or FPGAs.
I agree. With a sufficiently powerful computer, we most likely could simulate a brain. However, even today's fastest computers struggle to simulate thousands of biologically accurate neurons, nevermind the 100's of millions required to simulate a brain. So we resort to the simulating the boring old perceptron that can't even change its own behavior.
Fortunately the field of Neuromorphic engineering has recently made great progress. Having the right hardware could shave 10-20 years off the goal of achieving strong AI.