On Fri, Jun 18, 2021 at 8:17 PM Jason Resch <[email protected]> wrote:
*>Deepmind has succeeded in building general purposes learning algorithms. > Intelligence is mostly a solved problem,* > I'm enormously impressed with Deepmind and I'm an optimist regarding AI, but I'm not quite that optimistic. If intelligence was a solved problem the world would change beyond all recognition and we'd be smack in the middle of the Singularity, and we're obviously not because at least to some degree future human events are still somewhat predictable. > *But questions of consciousness are no less important nor less pressing:* > *Is this uploaded brain conscious or a zombie?* > I don't know, are you conscious or a zombie? > *Can (bacterium, protists, plants, jellyfish, worms, clams, insects, > spiders, crabs, snakes, mice, apes, humans) suffer?* > I don't know, I know I can suffer, can you? > > *Are these robot slaves conscious?* > Are you conscious? > * > Do they have likes or dislikes that we repress?* > What's with this "we" business? > *When does a developing human become conscious?* > Other than in my case does any developing human EVER become conscious? > *Is that person in a coma or locked-in?* > I don't know, are you locked in? > *Does this artificial retina/visual cortex provide the same visual > experiences?* > The same as what? > > *Does this particular anesthetic block consciousness or merely memory > formation?* > Did the person have consciousness even before the administration of the anesthetic? > *> These questions remain unsettled* > Yes, and these questions will remain unsettled till the end of time, so even if time is infinite it could be better spent pondering other questions that actually have answers. > *>If none of these questions interest you, perhaps this one will: Is > consciousness inherent to any intelligent process?* I have no proof and never will have any, however I must assume that the above is true because I simply could not function if I really believed that solipsism was correct and I was the only conscious being in the universe. Therefore I take it as an axiom that intelligent behavior implies consciousness. John K Clark See what's on my new list at Extropolis <https://groups.google.com/g/extropolis> qno -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Everything List" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected]. To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/everything-list/CAJPayv3X7AraSnEr%3DyT4tmREM49nYHbT8FSX9Mzc_OxPxTdGQg%40mail.gmail.com.
