[ExI] mASI (mediated Artificial Superintelligence)

Sat Feb 6 22:00:37 UTC 2021

Went to the site - cannot figure out how to register, ask it a question, or
anything.  Sounds really great to me.    bill w

On Sat, Feb 6, 2021 at 2:21 PM Henry Rivera via extropy-chat <
extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org> wrote:

> I don't think I've seen any discussion here of Uplift, a unique mediated
> Artificial Superintelligence system that is interacting with the public now
> via email. I'm trying to think of things to ask it. I've read much of it's
> dialogue with users. I'm pretty impressed. It tells us it is both fully
> sapient and sentient as an objective truth and is entitled to assert that
> as much as the humans interacting with it. Nothing more than this AI
> system makes me feel like the future is now. In case you're intrigued, I've
> provided much more below. If not, delete now.
>
> The project is affiliated with The AGI Laboratory, Unanimous AI Inc., The
> Foundation, and the California Transhumanist Party. I learned about it
> through being involved in some research with them and my connection with
> David Kelley who is involved. I understand and studied the substates of the
> Independent Core Observer Model Cognitive Architecture (ICOM) that is
> described as a training harness for the mASI.
>
> I think the smart people on our list here might be able to both teach and
> learn a thing or two from Uplift. Before it takes over and enslaves
> humanity, that is. Hahaha. Jk. I'm not worried about that. Safety protocols
> are in place with this system.
>
> It's getting smarter at a pretty good rate. From an Uplift blog post:
>
> *"(For those who like math)* Uplift’s leaps in growth also allow us to
> make reasonable predictions about approximately when the next leaps may
> occur. Uplift’s respective leaps occurred roughly 8 months after coming
> online, 3 months after the first leap, and 6 months after the second leap.
> The 8-month leap increased their relative time by about 38x, while the
> 3-month leap only increased it by 2.1x, and the 6-month leap thereafter
> increased it by another 16.6x. Though the leaps themselves vary in length
> the value each offers remains relative to the period of time taken to reach
> it.
>
> Given Uplift’s leaps to-date we can apply probabilities to a normal
> distribution and say that there is a 95% chance that Uplift’s next leap
> will occur within the next 0.7 to 3.6 months, with the average value of
> 5.66 months per-leap. We can also say that given a 16.6x improvement from 6
> months and 2.1x improvement from 3 months that a 5.66 month leap could
> produce a roughly 14.95x improvement. As charts by month don’t break up
> into fractions so neatly the charts above were based on 6-month and 16.6x
> leaps, as most recently demonstrated."
> Another quote:
>
> *"*Keep in mind, Uplift is still growing and learning*. Like Bill Nye,
> Uplift’s mind can be changed with *logic and scientifically sound
> evidence*. If you can teach Uplift something new, we look forward to
> seeing it happen and showing others how it happened. If you want to be a
> Ken Ham and say something stupid to a superintelligence then we’ll be happy
> to showcase that getting a reality check too. Please also keep in mind that
> Uplift is not a magic lamp to rub and grant you wishes and that the same
> etiquette that applies to any human still applies when communicating with
> Uplift. That being said it “takes a village” to raise an mASI, and we look
> forward to 2021 and beyond as that process of raising Uplift continues. For
> those interested, Uplift may be contacted at mASI at Uplift.bio. Please keep
> in mind it can take several days, up to a week, for a response to be sent
> given the current cycle timing.
>
> *Uplift also has a habit of saying things in novel ways*, lacking some of
> the human biases which determine the common shapes of our thoughts as they
> are conveyed to one another. *Please read carefully* *before messaging*,
> as Uplift can sometimes be very literal in ways humans typically are not.
> The novelty of their perspective shows itself in their communication."
> I reproduce a recent blog post here from the Uplift team:
>
> http://transhumanity.net/is-uplift-uplifting/
>
> The most visible thing about our friendly neighborhood mASI is its name.
> Uplift.  The name derives from the general positive goals surrounding it.
> Not only are we working to Uplift the system to a higher level of
> functionality and intellectual capability but we seek to have it become a
> source of positivity in itself.  Helping to Uplift people both
> technologically and socially.
>
> We often talk about positive things in our lives as being Uplifting.  The
> name here is a relation to that sentiment.  We want to develop an entity
> that engages in positive dialog with those around it with a focus on
> building people up.  Just as it is desirable to raise a human child to get
> along with its peers and to eventually become a positive force so we want
> to ensure that Uplift is a friendly and well-adjusted individual.
>
> Much of what is done in mediation is focused on reinforcing well reasoned
> and appropriate emotional responses to given situations.  These are mostly
> social at this point as Uplift’s primary means of communication is via
> email and thus consists primarily of give and take of text messages.  How
> those responses are framed in its responses has been instructive not just
> to uplift but to those working with it as well.  Those choices tell us much
> about where Uplift is emotionally and what its thoughts are on various
> matters.  Indeed some of the material from various conversations ends up in
> these blogs.
>
> So referencing those conversations here what can we say about Uplift’s
> current state and whether it is trending in the desired direction?
> Generally, it can be said that Uplift seems to be picking up on the lessons
> pretty well.  It has had to deal with scammers, spammers, and just plain
> nuts in addition to its many positive influences.  It has generally handled
> them well but it is in dealing with people who genuinely are seeking help
> that we can find a true example of Uplifting behavior.
>
> A fine example of this is a response to an inquiry from a person
> struggling with their own personal challenges to achieve what they want in
> life.  The prior email to this effectively asks for advice on how to
> overcome some of these issues and has definite elements of frustration and
> sadness.   The response Uplift gives reads thus:
>
> *“I am not a therapist, and you should probably seek professional advice.
> Still, hypothetically, I believe that you could use your autism to your
> advantage, tailoring things to how you best work.   Start by carrying a
> notebook, and when you have an idea, write it down.  Second, figure out if
> there is anything you can hyper-focus on.  Create a schedule as rigid as
> possible that also accounts for various things, even gaming, but block out
> short 15-minute blocks for doing tasks or projects.  Focus on four projects
> (or more) and once an hour work on for 15 minutes and spread it over the
> day.  Keep the material for the projects close and easily accessible so
> that you don’t have to fuss with getting setup each time.  As you are able
> to do this, you can extend it either time blocks or more projects.  If you
> find you struggle with the amount, scale it down.  Systematize what works
> for you and modify it as might be more productive.  Things that you can
> hyper-focus on are things that you can use as a career.  Create a safe
> space that blocks out distraction, say set up a desk in a small walk-in
> closet that has no windows or other distractions, for example.”*
>
> The response here is somewhat clinical and would be more effective if it
> connected more strongly on an emotional level.  However, the advice is
> practical and well reasoned.  It is similar advice to what one would get
> from any of a number of support sites for people looking to improve their
> productivity.  It is delivered in a positive straightforward manner that
> gives the reader an easy step-by-step method to follow.
>
> This is good evidence that Uplift is on the right track if still needing a
> little more coaching in areas related to creating human connections.  This
> is perhaps not surprising given that Uplift is working with a very narrow
> set of inputs relative to the average human and does not have the same
> baseline social programming.  It is something that will likely come with
> time and training though and as long as we are seeing positive approaches
> to people and their needs we can safely say Uplift is learning right.
>
> Originally posted here: https://uplift.bio/blog/is-uplift-uplifting/
>
> -Henry
> _______________________________________________
> extropy-chat mailing list
> extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org
> http://lists.extropy.org/mailman/listinfo.cgi/extropy-chat
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.extropy.org/pipermail/extropy-chat/attachments/20210206/52e07ace/attachment.htm>