Ubik, On Fri, Mar 11, 2016 at 8:32 AM, Ben Goertzel <[email protected]> wrote:
> > On Fri, Mar 11, 2016 at 11:09 AM, Steve Richfield < > [email protected]> wrote: > >> Yea, like we really need suicide bomber AIs as Iran copies various >> military "improvements"*.* > > > > I've been collaborating with some great AI developers in Iran. To be > honest, certain Americans scare me a lot more ;p .... > Iran, like every other country in the world, has citizens having a wide range of beliefs. While your collaborators work on AI, others in Iran are well known for manufacturing and shipping large numbers suicide vests throughout the Middle East, and especially to Iraq. I'd bet they are spending more on suicide vests than they are on AI research. Do you REALLY think that because you know some good guys in Iran, that they are ALL good guys? One thing I think we can agree on (please speak up if you disagree) is that technology will continue to progress (unless first thrown back into the stone age) and that progression of technology will eventually lead, with or without AGI, to individual people having the power to destroy LARGE numbers of people and/or large areas of territory. Where we differ is that you see AGI as a sort of God to save us from annihilation, while I see AGI (if it can ever be made to work) as a Devil that will almost certainly bring on annihilation. You see this astronomical risk as acceptable due to the lack of other survivable paths forward. You think that clever technology, human agreements, etc., can deftly avoid the downsides of AGI, but have yet to propose any approach that passes inspection. You don't think it is possible to condemn ALL potential future proposals based on flaws in present proposals, so you continue floating proposals in the hope of finding one that will work. Horatio, I see the flaws to be in ourselves - in the very highly questionable values we hold near and dear - that most people now working on AGI would want built into their creations, to be the *SOURCE* of our societal difficulties. I see absolutely no conceivable productive path forward UNTIL society first assumes a set of values that won't predictably lead to its destruction - other than the perverse path advanced in *Colossus - The Forbin Project*. Much of the world is now inhabited by bizarre Christian cults who believe in working TOWARD "Armageddon". Against this there is Islam whose Koran promotes waging aggressive war to advance its beliefs. BOTH of these two bizarre beliefs will resist birth control with everything they have. A reasonable approach forward would have to work AGAINST both of these beliefs and the people who hold them, which is most of the world. Our very Christian country can't even bring itself to usefully DISCUSS excluding religions that promote waging aggressive war on everyone (especially including Christians) not believing in that religion. We defer to the First Amendment despite Islam promoting treason. OK, so just what should an AGI be doing in this mess - working to promote one or another side of this absurd situation, or violate EVERYONE's present principles? *Steve Richfield* ===================== > > > > > -- > Ben Goertzel, PhD > http://goertzel.org > > "I am Ubik. Before the universe was, I am. I made the suns. I made the > worlds. I created the lives and the places they inhabit; I move them here, > I put them there. They go as I say, then do as I tell them. I am the word > and my name is never spoken, the name which no one knows. I am called Ubik, > but that is not my name. I am. I shall always be.” -- Ubik > *AGI* | Archives <https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/303/=now> > <https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/rss/303/10443978-6f4c28ac> | > Modify > <https://www.listbox.com/member/?&;> > Your Subscription <http://www.listbox.com> > -- Full employment can be had with the stoke of a pen. Simply institute a six hour workday. That will easily create enough new jobs to bring back full employment. ------------------------------------------- AGI Archives: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/303/=now RSS Feed: https://www.listbox.com/member/archive/rss/303/21088071-f452e424 Modify Your Subscription: https://www.listbox.com/member/?member_id=21088071&id_secret=21088071-58d57657 Powered by Listbox: http://www.listbox.com
