What the experts think of malign superintelligence
by Michael Cook | 24 Sep 2016 |
Skynet is not keen on those pesky humans “Before the prospect of an intelligence explosion, we humans are like small children playing with a bomb,” he writes. “We have little idea when the detonation will occur, though if we hold the device to our ear we can hear a faint ticking sound.”
His book Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies, was a New York Times bestseller last year, endorsed by celebrities like Tesla boss Elon Musk and Bill Gates.
But what do experts in artificial intelligence think of the philosopher’s predictions?
In MIT Technology Review, Oren Etzioni, a professor of computer science at the University of Washington, surveyed members of the American Association for Artificial Intelligence. They were sceptical. About 25% thought that superintelligence would never happen and 92% thought that it was beyond the foreseeable horizon. Some of their comments were not flattering:
“Way, way, way more than 25 years. Centuries most likely. But not never.”
“We’re competing with millions of years’ evolution of the human brain. We can write single-purpose programs that can compete with humans, and sometimes excel, but the world is not neatly compartmentalized into single-problem questions.”
“Nick Bostrom is a professional scare monger. His Institute’s role is to find existential threats to humanity. He sees them everywhere. I am tempted to refer to him as the ‘Donald Trump’ of AI.”
One of the recurring themes thrown up by assisted reproduction is the importance of genetic ties. Are we determined by our origins, or can we forge our own identity? Does it matter whether our nearest and dearest are our kith and kin or whether they are just the people we hang around with?
By chance I just stumbled across the astonishing story of a Hungarian politician whose life was transformed when he discovered his true genetic identity.
By the time Csanad Szegedi was 24, he was vice-president of Jobbik, a far-right, nationalist and virulently anti-Semitic party. He was elected to the European Parliament as a Jobbik MEP in 2009 and wrote a book, I Believe in Hungary’s Resurrection.
Then he learned his family’s deepest secret: he was a Jew. His grandfather and grandmother were actually Auschwitz survivors.
Szegedi’s life fell apart. He was forced to resign from Jobbik.
Suddenly he did a complete about-face. Under the tuition of a Lubavitch rabbi from New York who was living in Budapest he became an Orthodox, observant Jew; he had himself circumcised, adopted the name Dovid and burned a thousand copies of his book. Now he ismigrating to Israel with his wife and two children. He is interesting in joining the Knesset.
Szegedi is obviously a complex, intense man. He could even be a charlatan. But his astonishing journey does suggest that there is something to the idea that our personal identity is incomplete if it lacks the genetic heritage.
Michael Cook
Editor
BioEdge
| This week in BioEdge | |
by Xavier Symons | Sep 24, 2016
Pro-euthanasia advocates are calling on Australian legislatures to legalise assisted dying.by Xavier Symons | Sep 24, 2016
A new prenatal test could reduce the expense of caring for those with Down’s Syndrome, says the UK Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.by Michael Cook | Sep 24, 2016
Doctor wants to fill eligibility gap for 1 to 12-year-oldsby Xavier Symons | Sep 24, 2016
The editors of two major bioethics journals calling for strict limits on “conscientious objection at the bedside”.by Michael Cook | Sep 24, 2016
He fathered at least 8 childrenby Michael Cook | Sep 24, 2016
Sofia Vergara and Nick Loeb will be going to court in Januaryby Xavier Symons | Sep 24, 2016
A Swedish scientist has begun what are believed to be the first gene-editing experiments on healthy human embryos.by Ulf Schmidt and Jonathan D. Moreno | Sep 24, 2016
Big Pharma's tests in East Germany were ethical, investigations have shown. Why?by Shena Cavallo | Sep 24, 2016
Former president Fujimori will not be prosecuted over alleged campaignsBioEdge
Suite 12A, Level 2 | 5 George St | North Strathfield NSW 2137 | Australia
Phone: +61 2 8005 8605
Mobile: 0422-691-615
Email: michael@bioedge.org
New Media Foundation | Level 2, 5 George St | North Strathfield NSW 2137 | AUSTRALIA | +61 2 8005 8605 BioEdge: What the experts think of malign superintelligence
No hay comentarios:
Publicar un comentario