[ExI] Transhuman screenplays

[Florent Berthet]

I'll answer to Aleksei Riikonen here and then to Jimmy in order to keep only
one movie thread.

Aleksei :
I agree with you. From what I have read I'm not really sure about Kurzweil's
movie, but I hope I'm wrong. It's true also that a bad transhumanist movie
would be not only useless but also harmful, and I won't do anything unless
I'm sure that it will be great (for example, I won't choose a mid-level
director just because no big one accepted the project). I'll use all the
necessary time.

About rich guys giving money, you said "Some smart rich guys have been
rather successfully convinced. See e.g. Peter Thiel.  I don't see the SIAI
as being seriously strapped for cash, and am not sure whatthey'd actually do
if they got substantially more"

Peter Thiel is actually the only one who made a substantial donation with $
250 000, all the others gave $ 100 000 and less. In total, I'm not even sure
they reached the million. This is far from sufficient if you want to hire
the top computer and cognitive scientists in the world for several years -
and unfortunately that's what it takes when you're aiming at creating an
AGI. Thiel is a smart guy but it's kinda odd he doesn't give more given his
wealth. Same observation for Kurzweil and Martine Rothblatt (who is also
making a movie I'm not sure about...). I guess they are reasoning too much
as mere entrepreneurs on these issues.


Jimmy:
"This sounds like the central computer in the movie "I Robot"  Victoria (?)
"We will help you humans (by force, since humans can't help themselves)"

I will do everything I can to make the AGI really seem reliable and
trustworthy, like there's no way it's going to raise an army of robots or
destroy the planet... I know that's what happens 99% of the time in the
movies with AIs but we must get this idea out of people's head. Often, when
you talk about mind uploading to non-totally geek guys, they are like "wow
hold on! imagine if the computer takes control of your mind or something!".
I'm really not sure they would have such an automatic defensive reaction if
there weren't all those spooky movies such as Terminator, AI, 2001, Matrix,
and so on. We have to break this meme.

""screw the laws of physics!" is part of the problem with movies"

Agreed. I meant that it would be the case but only in the virtual world, in
which you would be able to go on the moon directly by JUMPING on it, if you
want to... But the real world of the movie wouldn't break any law of any
kind. Like I said, it must seem to be a totally possible future. So there
will not even be any time travel.

""Make people really want that future" of Games? I don't like or care for
computer games, or most games in real life. OK, I like sailing and chess,
but that is about it. "

Yes. Actually there won't be only games. I've not talked about that but it
will be shown that you can do whatever you want, sailing and chess included.
Some parts of the movie take place in paradisiac lands where you can just
chill out. I'm very aware that not everybody is a total computer geek, and
we have to make the biggest impact among the biggest number of people.

"Personally I don't want to come back (after cryonics) in a simulation. I
want a biological ageless body in the real world. But that is my choice, and
if you want to come back in a simulation that is your choice; the red pill,
or the blue pill, but everyone should have the right to chose."

People will have the right to choose. The most important thing being to make
them NOT freak out, everything must be as reassuring as possible.

About your unplugging idea, I think this would actually happen if uploading
was real. Religious or bioluddites radical groups may very well want to shut
down everything. That's something that I've already thought about but I'm
not sure I will use that, though that will definitely be talked about in the
explanation scenes of the beginning.

Do not hesitate to share ideas if you have some others.



Florent Berthet
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