[ExI] Hard Takeoff

[Natasha Vita-More]

 Michael wrote:
 2010/11/14 Natasha Vita-More <natasha at natasha.cc>


 
Well let's look at your last statement. Diverse views about a hard takeoff
were around before SIAI.  You are correct that SIAI is one well-known
organization within transhumanism, but the Singularity is larger than SIAI
and has many varied views/theories which are addressed by transhumanists and
nontranshumanists. 


Indeed.
 

I pretty  much stick with Vinge and have my own views based on my own
research and scenario development.  I think SIAI has done great work and has
produced amazing events.  The only problem I have ever had with SIAI is that
it does not include women like me -- women who have been around for a long
time and could contribute something meaningful to the conversation, outside
of Eli's dismissal of women and/or media design as a substantial field o of
inquiry and consequential to our future of AGIs.  But you and I have had
this conversation several time before and I see nothing has changed.


Women like Aruna Vassar, Amy Willey, and Anna Salamon, that I work with and
communicate with all the time?  The staff at SIAI HQ mostly consists of
myself, Amy, and Vassar.  I just hired a female graphic artist for contract
work.   
 
I don't know Aruna, but from my quick scan, she seems to be a investment
analyst; I don' know Amy Willey, but from my quick scan, she seems to be a
lawyer; I don't know Anna Salamon, but from my quick scan, she is an AI
researcher but could not find her bio (bty, I love her use of "human
extinction risk" rather than the ill-suited phrase "existential risk".  I do
not know any of these women from transhumanism.  They all seem highly
skilled and cool women.  BUT I'm not aware of any of them having a
background in media design, applied design, media design theory or applied
design theory.  That was my point.  The study of the Singularity and A[G]I
research and theory *must be transdisciplinary.*  I cannot emphasize that
enough.  
 

 By the way, since you applauded a guy who dissed me a couple of years ago
for my talk at the Goertzel's AI conference, I thought you might like to
know that Kevin Kelly has a new book out _What Technology Wants_, which
addresses technology from a similar thematic vantage as I addressed the
Singularity and AI in my talk about what AGI wants and its intended
consequences.


I never saw your talk at that AI conference, but I'm sorry if I clapped for
someone who dissed you.  For reasons that have actually been explained by
Dale Carrico, I object to the treating of "technology" as a monolithic,
personified entity as Kelly does, but I'll probably look into his book
eventually anyway. 
 
I don't have anything to say about Carrico.  On a different note, it is not
a matter of anthropomorphizing technology but experiencing the cause/effect
of technology and placing one's research inside of the technology rather
than only being an observer. 
 

 Nevertheless, you are one of my favorite transhumanists and I admire your
work.


Thanks! 
 
Mon pleasure!
 
 <http://www.natasha.cc/> Natasha Vita-More
   MSc, MPhil
   PhD Researcher, University of Plymouth
Board of Directors: Humanity+
Fellow: Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies
Visiting Scholar: 21st Century Medicine
Advisor: Singularity University

 
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