[ExI] Symbol Grounding

[Stuart LaForge]

Quoting Ben Zaiboc via extropy-chat <extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org>:

> At some point, surely, someone will start getting plausible answers  
> to questions like 'How do we achieve practical fusion power  
> plants/space-based solar power/drexlerian nanotechnology/mind  
> uploading/indefinite life-extension/abundance economy for those who  
> want it/give everyone in the world a chance to lead the lives they  
> want to lead while simultaneously preventing any megolomaniac  
> fuckheads wiping us all of the face of the earth, etc.?
>
> Oh, and asteroid defence. Just in case.
>
> I mean, what's the point of a superintelligence if it can't help  
> with any of those?

Well-put, Ben. The current generation of transformer-style LLM are not  
going to be a big help fulfilling your wish list. But  
transformer-style LLM are just the popular AI models du jour. Other  
more specialized and technical AI are making some progress. I expect  
some customized proteins to be in the works thanks to Alphafold and  
its derivatives, and those might be a big boost when it comes to life  
extension and first generation nanotech. The leading edge of the  
abundance economy is already here when it comes to information, most  
recently G-rated pop art and filler content. Human artists and writers  
are liable to need to become edgier, more controversial, and less safe  
for work in order to compete with generative AI. Meanwhile, PTA news  
letters will start to look a lot more slick and polished. The common  
core educational standards and higher education will likely need to be  
revamped either to preclude or incorporate students using generative  
AI to help with their studies. So as fast as things are moving, we are  
still only barely in the foothills of Mount Singularity. I, for one,  
am grateful for the breathing room afforded us by the  
non-superintelligence of transformer LLM. But it is a clear signal for  
us to start getting our shit together as a species.

Stuart LaForge