[ExI] How could you ever support an AGI?

[Kevin Freels]

John K Clark wrote:
> * Robert Bradbury Wrote:*
> ** 
>
> *> I believe the production of an AGI spells*
>
> *> the extinction of humanity.  *
>
> * *
>
> *Me too.*
>
> * *
>
> *> Why should I expend intellectual energy,*
>
> *> time, money, etc. in a doomed species?  *
>
> * *
>
> *If you don't want to develop an AI somebody else certainly will, 
> there is too much money and power involved for such a possibility to 
> be ignored, not to mention the adrenalin high creating such a godlike 
> being would bring. And if you're the first to make an AI you would 
> have more control (very small but larger than zero) over future events 
> than the person who came in second. It may also give these developers 
> some comfort to know that even if they or their children do not 
> survive their mind children will.*
>
> * *
>
> *> those of you who have had and/or are investing*
>
> *> in children are potentially pursuing a pointless endeavor. *
>
> * *
>
> *Sucks doesn't it? Still, things aren't completely hopeless, just 
> almost hopeless. If you or your biological children have any wish to 
> survive they must shed the silly superstitions regarding identity and 
> consciousness that is epidemic in society and even infects most 
> members of this list. If they can do that then there would be no 
> reason not to upload and engage in pedal to the metal upgrading, and 
> if they are also very lucky they might survive.  *
>
> * *
>
> *> And so, we must present transhumanism *
>
> *> as an "Extinction Level Event"*
>
> * *
>
> *Yes.*
>
> * *
>
> * > are willing to deal with thiat?*
>
> * *
>
> *Well, it's not like we had any choice over the matter.*
>
> * *
>
> * John K Clark*
>
> * *
>
Why is it that you think that humanity would become extinct? A "doomed 
species"? You are much better than that. First of all - ALL SPECIES ARE 
DOOMED. It's called evolution. The name we give a specific species is 
our way of fitting things into neat little boxes as us humans like to 
do, but the fact is that the human of today is different then the human 
of yesterday and will be different in the future. Whatever may come will 
be different from us but it will have our mark. Even the AGI - if it is 
actually intelligent - will recognize that had it not been for us, it 
would not exist. And had it not been for our parents we would not exist 
and so on. So your investment in children would not be "pointless" if 
those children were to be part of the world that brought the AGI into 
existence.

One thing you will notice is that the greater the education a person 
has, the less likely they engage in wholesale destruction of life. 
Assuming an AGI would be very well educated, I would expect it to seek 
the protection of humanity just as we seek to protect chimps and 
gorillas. Certainly humans kills these animals, but it's for economic 
reasons that an AGI would simply not subscribe to.

So I would expect with an AGI that people could still choose their own 
destiny. They could remain human and continue as before except in a much 
better world, or they could upload, convert to a mechanical body for 
exploration, or any combination in between. Some may even make copies of 
themselves digitally and shoot themselves across the universe on a 
laserbeam. Some will "perfect" themselves into oblivion. Others will 
choose to remain as traditionally human as possible. Divergence is 
almost inevitable. 

But in all cases it would be pointless if you didn't feel and think like 
"you" when you were done. And personally I wouldn't feel that to survive 
alone is enough. If the search for upgrades and one-up-manship turned 
out to be as you state it is no different than the current state of 
affairs except there is no time for relaxation and entertainment and 
your entire life is dedicated to survival. If the identity can't be 
preserved it is indeed all pointless. So anything that doesn't produce 
that result would not be worth the time. An AGI would clearly see this.

All this doom and gloom about the pointlessness of it all really 
concerns me. Because once you go down that path you have to ask yourself 
why you even bother getting up in the morning. Might as well put an end 
to it now.
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