[ExI] Survival (was: elections again)

[Bryan Bishop]

This thread would benefit from a look back at what's been said:

On Tuesday 01 January 2008, Gary Miller wrote:
> On Tuesday 01 January 2008, Bryan Bishop wrote:
> > On Monday 31 December 2007, John K Clark wrote:
> > > On Monday 31 December 2007, Harvey Newstrom wrote:
> > > > On Monday 31 December 2007 13:40, Eugen Leitl wrote:
> > > > > > Not any time soon. But, eventually. We might not see it
> > > > > > (heck, what is another 40-50 years), but our children could
> > > > > > very well, and their children's children almost certainly
> > > > > > (unless they're not too busy fighting in the Thunderdome,
> > > > > > of course).
> > > > >
> > > > > Growing smarter is not a simple brute-force search.  Even
> > > > > a super-smart AI won't instantly have god-like powers.
> > >
> > > I rather think he will.
> >
> > Even an ai is bounded by the laws of physics [whatever they may
> > be].
>
> "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from
> magic. "

Good call. But please direct your attention below.

> > > > > have to perform slow physical experiments in the real world
> > > > > of physics to discover or build faster communications,
> > > > > transportation, and utilization of resources.  They also will
> > > > > have to build factories to build future hardware upgrades.
> > > > > These macro, physical processes are slow and easily
> > > > > disrupted. It it not clear to me that even a
> > > > > super-intelligent AI can quickly or easily accomplish
> > > > > anything that we really want to stop.
> > > > >
> > > > > I'd like to see some specific scenarios that rely on
> > > > > something more specific than "...a miracle/singularity occurs
> > > > > here..."

Harvey was asking for more than "magic occurs here." Can we rely on 
magical miracles to lead us to ai? Ai or the singularity is way too 
important to be left to magic. 

- Bryan
________________________________________
Bryan Bishop
http://heybryan.org/