From: spike66 (spike66@attbi.com)
Date: Wed Jun 12 2002 - 22:48:48 MDT
Eugen Leitl wrote:
>On Wed, 12 Jun 2002 Spudboy100@aol.com wrote:
>
>>Why would you wish to out-run a Singulairty anyways?
>>
Not everyone would want to, nor can they. I am only suggesting
that a few may attempt it. Out of 6E9 humans, I would suppose
there are several who would risk it all it try. I myself would not
want to outrun a singularity. I estimate better odds in taking
my chances with the AI (even if I suspect it would be pissed
at me for using computers the way I do.)
But I would cheerfully work on the design of a spacecraft for
those who wish to flee.
>But I agree, you can't outrun a Singularity.
>
It is not clear to me why one cannot outrun a singularity, given a
few years head start. One might escape by the lack of I/O devices:
the AI could not get into your ship for the same reason that the
chip running your car's engine doesn't get viruses.
Furthermore, I can imagine a scenario whereby a singularity
calmly goes about converting a planet or a solar system to
computronium, but does not attempt to colonize the galaxy.
Suppose the *real currency* of the universe is information
about how intelligence evolves. History is what the AI wants.
Suppose an AI that is (what are we up to now?) 50,000 million
times smarter than humans decides to allow the fleeing humans
to take their best shot, to try to colonize the nearby star, and
thus create a new history, a new heroic epic of survival. Perhaps
this is really the one thing it finds more valuable than metals with
which to make still more computronium. The AI might decide
it has plenty of hardware, and lust for more software. Greater
content, even at the expense of computation capacity.
Such a scenario is not so very different from what Samantha
was suggesting, but with a slight twist. My notion is that humans
will remorselessly colonize at any and every opportunity, whereas
an AI might decide to devour only those star systems that it already
knows to be lifeless. This would explain why our own galaxy
is not already overrun by an AI. Assuming of course that it is
indeed not already overrun by an AI. spike
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