[ExI] How could you ever support an AGI?

[Kaj Sotala]

On 3/3/08, Robert Bradbury <robert.bradbury at gmail.com> wrote:
> On Sun, Mar 2, 2008 at 2:03 PM, Kaj Sotala <xuenay at gmail.com> wrote:
> > The AGI can come up with ways for us to voluntarily upgrade into a
> > posthuman species. Then we won't become obsolete.
> >
> >
> Kaj, please allow me to assume you have a young mind.   And you can assume a
> transition to a posthuman state.  Which may be fine for you -- I don't know.
>
> The problem is what happens to those of us who choose not to upgrade?

Robert,

well, if we assume an AGI that is capable of creating a method of
upgrading people, then surely it will be smart enough to also arrange
a way for people to keep on living their normal lives.

You say that the existence of normals would be "pointless" after an
AGI would be developed. I do not see the reason for this. If there are
people who'd rather not upgrade, then continued baseline existence
apparently has a value for them.

If I'm not mistaken, this is the "if all of the problems in the world
would be solved, what would be point in existing" argument, isn't it?
I have never been able to understand that argument - certainly my
standard of living is in no way improved by the fact that there are
starving children in Africa, and it wouldn't be worsened if that
problem was solved. I'm already living in a wealthy Western country -
if all the global problems in the world were solved, the effect to my
daily life would be almost none. Newspaper headlines would probably
get less depressing, though.

Likewise, just because there exist beings more intelligent than us
doesn't make continued existence as a baseline being pointless. Such
beings existing wouldn't mean that good food wouldn't still be a
pleasure, that love wouldn't be worth pursuing, or that an evening
spent playing games with good friends wouldn't be worthwhile anymore.

> What happens to those 6 billion or more humans (a good 5 billion or more of
> completely unaware of the forthcoming transition).  I.e. those who have not
> read Nanosystems or Nanomedicine VI or "The consequences of the development"
> of an AGI, which has not been written yet?

They can be brought up to date and allowed to make their choice.



-- 
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