RE: Fluffy bunnies and the FAI

From: Colin Hales (colin@versalog.com.au)
Date: Thu Jun 13 2002 - 19:50:13 MDT


Rafal wrote...........
> ### Just wait for Windows 2015 on a multiprocessor Pentium 10 machine,
> with Cyc v7.9, and a Flare 4 AI > development suite.

Maybe. I see it more likely as a cellular automata or coded/CA (Eugene
mentioned A-Lifers, I think) hybrid outcome. CYC or any other formally
structured critter would likely be a zombie/idiot savant and only a
comparatively low/longer term grey goo risk, IMHO - more likely to be
sequestered by a CA-AGI as a database/sensory organ. With CA, the right brew
of cell types configured in the right way and voila. 50,000,000,000 cells is
feeling a smaller number every day. My son is 15, doing work experience at a
computer supplier. Never built squat in his life (my fault). He built
several 2.xGHz, 1.xGB RAM PCs yesterday. The numbers are reachable.

Steve Grand (the guy who invented Creatures) is hammering away at this
approach (Lucy is subsumption bound at the moment) as we speak. Peter Voss
is, as far as I can tell, working on a hybrid, also subsumption bound at the
moment. He calls his cells a 'neural gas', I think. I'm still
designing/prototyping cells and studying brain structure. I think a hybrid
will ensue. Wolfram's bent on CAing the entire universe - somebody will
play, I'm sure.

Fortunately a CA-AGI would learn by example. As long as Bin Laden or Saddam
Shit-for-Brains don't get near it we should be alright. It's what you don't
realise you're teaching that's the most taught thing. Scream 1+1=2 at a kid
and you'll more powerfully teach that teaching means screaming at people,
instead of teaching arithmetic. I digress.

There's a lot of ways this fluffy bunny could be skinned. Prudence and a
balanced view, I think, would put 'calmly encourage, educate, communicate,
be open, responsible and be ever watchful' as the best payback for effort.
Boyscout stuff. I'm not sure anything else would do anything but generate
incredible, useless regulatory overheads, intrusiveness and hysteria.
Prohibition really worked on alcohol in the 20's eh? Not so's you'd notice.
The last thing we need is to drive it underground. It's going to happen - if
you _act_ scared you'll _make_ a scary one, somehow. Bring on the fluffy
bunnies.... :-)

Time's up.

cheers,

Colin



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