From: J. R. Molloy (jr@shasta.com)
Date: Sun Sep 24 2000 - 22:33:02 MDT
> > If laymen can't understand that they will become obsolete, then it has
already
> > accomplished more than they ever can.
>
> Could you please rephrase this? If you mean that Super-AI would make human
> intellectual activities largely obsolete, then that may be a major source
> of resistance to any such project.
> FWP
<rephrase mode>
AI/SI/TS will accomplish ("in terms which laymen can understand") the
obsolescence of lay persons, and in fact it has already made them obsolete due
to their inability to understand the process.
</rephrase mode>
Lay persons will not become a major source of resistance to this project because
lay persons, for the most part, don't believe that machines can become truly
intelligent. (Ask the lay person on the street if you doubt this.)
Lay persons generally scoff at the idea of Artificial Life. They won't believe
it until they see it happen. By then, it will be too late to put the genie back
in the bottle.
I don't recommend that extropians try to persuade the general public that
Artificial Life is probable in our lifetime, because as long as they don't
believe it's possible, they won't interfere with the project. What they don't
know can't hurt us.
--J. R.
"I have traveled the length and breadth of this country and talked
with the best people, and I can assure you that data processing is a
fad that won't last out the year."
--The editor in charge of business books for Prentice Hall, 1957
[Amara Graps Collection]
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