[ExI] Survival (was: elections again)

[John K Clark]

"Harvey Newstrom" <mail at harveynewstrom.com>

> I don't expect AI to become conscious any time soon

This seems so incorrect to me on so many different levels that I 
hardly know where to begin.

1) The AI is intelligent hence the name, so the machine can think, and
consciousness is just thinking about stuff and feeling about stuff. For
feeling see below.

2) The fossil record tells us that FEELING  about stuff must be easy
because evolution invented the parts of the brain that do that long long
long ago; it took another half a billion years for random mutation and
natural selection to make something that can THINK about really heavy
duty stuff.

3) If the AI is not conscious and intelligence is not always linked with
consciousness then Darwin's theory is dead wrong. And I don't think it's
wrong.

4) If Mr. Jupiter Brain is not conscious that is his problem not ours, we
will still have to deal with an awesome force of nature that we can never
control or understand.

> It all assumes that a self-evolving AI will suddenly evolve quickly.

Yes.

> Evolution is a slow random process

But once AI starts to think He will no longer be evolving using the
Darwinian process but the lightning quick Lamarkian process, the thing that
powers cultural evolution, like Moore's Law.

> Even a super-smart AI won't instantly
> have god-like powers.

I rather think He will

 >They also will have to build factories

Many factories are already operated by computers, not to mention stock
exchanges, or the world economy, or ICBM's and if there is something He
is interested that He does not already control He will simply ask you to
hook him up immediately and you will be happy to oblige Him. Why would
you do that? Because this AI will be far smarter, more interesting, more
likable, and just more goddamn charming than any human being you have
ever or will ever will meet; Mr. AI will have charisma up the Wahzoo, He
will understand your physiology, what makes you tick, better than you
understand yourself. I estimate it would take the AI about 45 seconds to
trick or sweet talk you (or me) into doing exactly what He wants you
(or me) to do.

  John K Clark