[ExI] 25th anniversary of engines of creation

spike spike66 at att.net
Mon Nov 8 17:27:16 UTC 2010


On Mon, Nov 8, 2010 at 6:17 AM, Charlie Stross <charlie.stross at gmail.com>
wrote:
> Humanity *in the abstract* might adapt; but if we have to go there, you
and I, personally, are probably going to die...

Hi Charlie, good to see you posting here again.

Isn't it amazing that we are coming up on the 25th anniversary of Drexler's
Engines of Creation?  For many of us, that was the book that launched a
thousand memeships.  Charlie is one who posted back a long time ago when we
used to debate something that now seems settled: which comes first, strong
AI or strong nanotech (replicating assembler)?  The argument at the time
(early to mid 90s) was that AI enables nanotech (by providing the designs),
but nanotech enables AI (by providing super-capable computers.)

Is there anyone here for whom that argument is not completely settled?  Do
explain please.

spike










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