[ExI] thinking about the unthinkable

[spike at rainier66.com]

-----Original Message-----
From: extropy-chat <extropy-chat-bounces at lists.extropy.org> On Behalf Of Ben
Zaiboc via extropy-chat
Subject: Re: [ExI] thinking about the unthinkable

>...I'm certain there are much better ways to wipe out the human race than
cutting off the electricity. ...

Ja, the purpose of this exercise is to identify those better ways and devise
a defense strategy.  Cutting the electricity is one I toss out there because
it is an attack available to AI, and may be even more dangerous if the AI
has its own completely isolated power source.  It could think of it as a way
to destroy competitor AIs, with the loss of a fraction of humanity as an
unintended consequence.

>...If future AIs really want us all dead, we're all dead...

I disagree.  There are defenses against any attack.  It is not part of my
mindset to just surrender.  But specifically, we should anticipate the
physical mechanism a human-hating AI would employ.  If we imagine a
virus-engineering AI for instance, there are isolated groups of people who
will not catch it.

>...Several people here have already pointed out how daft it is to think you
can out-think  something much more intelligent than you are.
-- 
Ben

We wouldn't necessarily out think it Ben.  There are defenses that don't
require that, such as cutting off its electric supply, after it has cut off
ours.  As far as I know, there are no mechanical-drive AIs (wind up?) nor
chemical driven versions (such as biological life.)  We humans have a deep
instinct to fight back against attackers, and we have developed some
impressive tools. Even against a superior intelligence, we are not helpless.
We are only at a disadvantage.

spike  


_______________________________________________
extropy-chat mailing list
extropy-chat at lists.extropy.org
http://lists.extropy.org/mailman/listinfo.cgi/extropy-chat