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<DIV dir=ltr align=left><SPAN class=953154200-14032011><FONT color=#0000ff
size=2 face=Arial>Why not just enjoy the fact that this panel is at SXSW.
For goodness sakes.</FONT></SPAN></DIV>
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size=2 face=Arial></FONT></SPAN> </DIV>
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<DIV align=left><FONT size=2 face=Arial><SPAN
style="FONT-FAMILY: 'Freestyle Script'; COLOR: #404040; FONT-SIZE: 18pt; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 191"><A
href="http://www.natasha.cc/"><SPAN
style="COLOR: #404040; mso-themecolor: text1; mso-themetint: 191"><FONT size=2
face=Arial>Natasha Vita-More</FONT></SPAN></A></SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV> </DIV><BR>
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<FONT size=2 face=Tahoma><B>From:</B> extropy-chat-bounces@lists.extropy.org
[mailto:extropy-chat-bounces@lists.extropy.org] <B>On Behalf Of </B>Samantha
Atkins<BR><B>Sent:</B> Sunday, March 13, 2011 7:28 PM<BR><B>To:</B> ExI chat
list<BR><B>Subject:</B> Re: [ExI] SXSW - The SINGULARITY: Humanity's Huge Techno
Challenge"<BR></FONT><BR></DIV>
<DIV></DIV><BR>
<DIV>
<DIV>On Mar 13, 2011, at 1:12 PM, Natasha Vita-More wrote:</DIV><BR
class=Apple-interchange-newline>
<BLOCKQUOTE type="cite">
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<DIV><SPAN class=437430920-13032011><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Featured
Interactive Panel: Monday @ 11:00 AM CST. </FONT><A
href="http://schedule.sxsw.com/events/event_IAP5705"><FONT size=2
face=Arial>http://schedule.sxsw.com/events/event_IAP5705</FONT></A></SPAN></DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=main_content_desc><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Will supercomputing
intelligences outsmart human-level intelligence? Ray Kurzweil's "The Age of
Spiritual Machines" is the world's most known advocacy of a technology
breakthrough that will change the face of humanity and the entire world.
</FONT></P></DIV></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV>It is less relevant whether one advocates technological advancement or not.
What is important in Kurzweil's work is waking people up to radically
better possibilities that can be attained via positive use of technological
advancements.</DIV>
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<BLOCKQUOTE type="cite">
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<P class=main_content_desc><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Kurzweil claims that the
accelerating, exponential growth of technology will result in such a
Singularity. </FONT></P></DIV></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV>This tosses in a not so helpful term, Singularity. There are at least
three major notions of what it means as you are quite aware. And it
brings up a lot of unhelpful hopes and fears. </DIV>
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<BLOCKQUOTE type="cite">
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<P class=main_content_desc><FONT size=2 face=Arial>But not all technological
luminaries agree with Kurzweil. In fact, some suggest nanotechnology as
superseding artificial intelligence. </FONT></P></DIV></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV><BR></DIV>Superseding seems an odd choice of words. If nanotechnology
arrives first, real machine phase nanotechnology, then it will make AGI more
likely sooner. If AGI comes first in sufficient degree and quantity then
it is likely to make it much easier to achieve nanotechnology quickly. <BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE type="cite">
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<P class=main_content_desc><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Others argue for humanity's
future as being located in biosynthetics and virtuality.
</FONT></P></DIV></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV><BR></DIV>This is not particularly different from what Kurzweil says and is
part of what he has advocated or dream of as future viable improvements.<BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE type="cite">
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<P class=main_content_desc><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Outside the technological
sphere, a new culture of DIY citizen scientists could either speed up or halt
the Singularity. With a finger on the pulse, ethicists and policy-makers are
arguing for a new strategy for assessing our possible futures.
</FONT></P></DIV></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV>Many of these ethicist have rather scary philosophical and ethical views.
I have said for some time that the most critically important need for
achieving the future of our dreams is preserving sufficient freedom to continue
the work. Whether this is by "policy makers" agreeing or by moving to
where no/fewer blocking policies are in effect or simply going underground, the
work must go on.</DIV><BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE type="cite">
<DIV>
<DIV>
<P class=main_content_desc><FONT size=2 face=Arial>This panel dissects the
very core of the Singularity, if and when it will occur, and what we can
expect to happen. </FONT></P></DIV></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE>
<DIV><BR></DIV>I don't believe we are capable of a meaningful, in the sense of
deep understanding and high likelihood achieving the most good, dissection
of such a thing. I think it is dangerously hubristic, especially as a
driver for regulation and enforcement, to act as if we can.</DIV>
<DIV> </DIV>
<DIV>- samantha</DIV></BODY></HTML>