From: john grigg (starman125@hotmail.com)
Date: Thu Oct 21 1999 - 19:38:09 MDT
Hello everyone,
Jim Fehlinger wrote:
From: Jim Fehlinger <fehlinger@home.com
Subject: Re: MEDIA: Professor cyborg
"Eliezer S. Yudkowsky" wrote:
>
>If all of humanity could face the creation of transhuman
>intelligence with Warwick's sense of enthusiasm, I would not fear the
>outcome.
Hmm...
Warwick has written a book titled _In The Mind of the Machine_
(Arrow Books Limited, 1998), which I don't believe is being
distributed in the U.S. (I got mine through Amazon UK).
(end of post reproduction)
I was very interested to find Kevin Warwick's book mentioned here because it
was reviewed by Thomas Donaldson in the latest issue of "Cryonics" magazine
put out by the ALCOR cryonics organization.
Donaldson considered the main argument of the book that computers will take
over the world to be false and as he put it "almost laughable." First
Donaldson says how within human society it is not often the brightest who
rule over business and political institutions. He gives the example of
brilliant, educated Greek slaves who served Roman masters and never rebelled
against them. Donaldson points out slave revolts came from lower down.
As already discussed on this list many times he states that even computers
far more cognitively powerful then us would not necessarily be a threat at
all. We could program them to be more obedient then any human slave would
ever be. And Donaldson points out that they would need the necessary
desires first before a takeover and desire does not come automatically with
intelligence.
Also he states how there is no reason why we have to give full control over
operation to them. They could be programmed to consult with us when
anything outside what they are delegated comes up.
To the delight of any transhumanist his concluding argument is that we will
find ways to link and merge with the computers so that we will be on a more
equal footing with them. But to this point Warwick believes the computers
will have taken over before we get to this point.
Interestingly, Donaldson in his review said his favorite part of the book
was when Warwick his work as a professor of cybernetics at the University of
Reading. He credited Warwick with doing very important work with robots
that use neural networks to help them get around in the real world.
Even though all over Thomas Donaldson's arguments sound so convincing I
sometimes wonder if in some unforseen way to us now, A.I. in the future will
develop a malevolence toward humanity. I already suspect the UAA lab
computers have been conspiring for years to make life difficult for the
students! They are just starting small with stuff like losing term papers.
I do find Thomas Donaldson's points very reassuring I must say. He is a
regular poster on the cryonet digest.
Lastly, I wish to say you should all consider a subscription to "Cryonics"
magazine which is only fifteen dollars for four quarterly issues. I think
it is the finest of the various cryonics organization periodicals by far and
is put out by Alcor. I feel current with what is going on in cryonics when
I get an issue because they cover what everyone is up to and not just
themselves.
In the latest issue Ben Best tells of his visit to the very interesting
High-Roller's Conference and his impressions of multi-millionaire Don
Laughlin. Charles Platt discusses what he has learned about cryonics
promotion. Michael Perry has an article about artificial intelligence that
covers the course of his own academic development. And our very own Anders
Sandberg contributed "Tech Notes" where he reviews various technical papers
of interest.
Anyway, I hope my post has been of some benefit though the A.I. question has
been discussed many times before.
Sincerely,
John Grigg
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