From: Mark Walker (mdwalker@quickclic.net)
Date: Fri Nov 30 2001 - 13:26:27 MST
----- Original Message -----
From: "Brian Atkins" <brian@posthuman.com>
> How many millions/billions $ are going into biotech and related fields
> right now? Lots. And how many are going into developing Real AI ? Zero.
> I don't think we are in any danger yet of spending too much on AI
> development. .
> --
I agree that the funding situation is not to our liking. In fact, I have
argued in the past that the present science-funding situation is
fundamentally irrational, if the goal is to attempt to obtain the complete
truth of everything consider as a whole (as Plato says). (Of course if the
goal of science is to make busy work for humans then this is a different
matter).. It makes more sense for science for science to pour money into
making Superintelligences rather than supercollidors. The weak link in the
science process is probably not our experimental apparatus but the
congenital limitations of our theorizers. Nevertheless, I was not suggesting
diverting monetary resources from AI to G.E. I am suggesting that our
intellectual resources might be allocated in part by thinking a bit more
about the G.E. back-up plan. If it helps, I am working on a transhumanist
cheer: "Three cheers for SIAI, two cheers for G.E., go team go." Not exactly
catchy but the sentiment is right.
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