[agi] A thought.

[Mike Deering]

I have had a thought.  You probably get them all the time but for myself they are rather rare.  I mostly just run programs.  Okay, here is the thought:   The possibilities of types of MIND are very broad, perhaps infinite.  What we are all trying to create (AGI) is our kind of mind or some specific subset of our kind of mind.  What is intelligence?  Ben:"The ability to solve complex problems in a complex environment."  What is OUR intelligence?  "The ability to solve OUR complex problems in OUR complex environment."  What is OUR environment?  Three dimensional space/time operating according to a somewhat unpredictable set of functions, vast abyss with occasional galaxies, our solar system with four gas giants and some scattered debris, our planet Earth, biosphere, intelligent species, various languages culture politics religion economics governments communities THE INTERNET.  The possibilities of types of ENVIRONMENT are very broad, perhaps infinite.  Just as there is no "general" environment, there is no "general" intelligence.  A mind must be matched to its environment.  In the 2d 64 square environment operated by the rules of chess, Deep Blue is a strong intelligence.  An artificial mind that has been programmed with all of our knowledge about our environment and all of our skills at problem solving our problems will be like us except for the advantages supplied by the machine hardware.  These advantages are limited in number and very specifically describable and predictable and understandable.  There is ONE general organizational structure that optimizes this AGI for our environment.  All deviations from the one design only serve to make the AGI function less effectively.  Any significant departures cease to function in any way we would consider intelligent.  The SAI of the future will be vastly more intelligent, powerful, and amazing.  It will not be incomprehensible.  It will be a lot like us.   Mike Deering.