Re: The nature of academia (was: Finding new support for SIAI Research Fellowship)

From: Brett Paatsch (paatschb@ocean.com.au)
Date: Thu Nov 07 2002 - 19:11:53 MST


Eleizer wrote:
>The
> strength of seed AI is the theory. You read "Levels of Organization in
> General Intelligence" and either you get it or you don't.

I think this is true.

> If you get it,
> it doesn't matter who the proponent of the theory happens to be - it's
> about the idea, not the person.

Yeah but you still have to package the communication. Even to get the
attention of those who will pick winners from ideas not from letters after a
persons name. Also it is the one who doesn't understand who looks to letters
for confidence that he's not going to look like a nit bumping your proposal
upstairs for a further look. A good way to get around this guy can be to
find yourself a talking head, ie, go in with someone who has the
qualifications the one who doesn't understand wants to see, and that may
clear you a path through to those who do weight the idea rather than the
qualificiation.

> If someone doesn't get the idea, there's
> no way I can win on personal grounds, with or without a degree.

I've said elsewhere I'm an AI sceptic who accepts that general AI is
possible in principle because homo sapiens seem to be the proof in
principle. But I'm ignorant of the state of the art. Is this "Level of
Organisation in General Intelligence" a book or paper I could read to come
up to speed?

I don't want to hold out false hopes for funding, almost certainly I cannot
help, but I do know someone would funds young researchers in Oz and is is
specifically interested in AI and/or neural networks.

If you point me to some precise info on what your doing (perhaps) its all at
your site below, I can pass it on with no great loss to you as I guess
you'll need to be able to package some briefing papers for any financial
backing in any case.

If friendly AI is achievedable by 2008 (or even 2018), it would almost
certainly be a key enabling technology and one not encumbered by the same
sort of entrenched ethical opposition seen in stem cells and gene therapy
etc. Or by FDA steep limits. Could you justify this 2008 (or 2018) as a
realistic possibility to an intelligent sceptical type, of investor?
Applications?

I know you are looking for quick solutions, not "maybe Bill" or "maybe
Larry". But even to run a scenario past my possible contact (and I suspect
others) I'd need some conceptual stuff (not confidential) just evidence of
realism in the project.

Regards,

Brett



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