[ExI] Hard Takeoff

[Michael Anissimov]

2010/11/14 Natasha Vita-More <natasha at natasha.cc>

>
> Well let's look at your last statement. Diverse views about a hard takeoff
> were around before SIAI.  You are correct that SIAI is one well-known
> organization within transhumanism, but the Singularity is larger than SIAI
> and has many varied views/theories which are addressed by transhumanists and
> nontranshumanists.
>

Indeed.


> I pretty  much stick with Vinge and have my own views based on my own
> research and scenario development.  I think SIAI has done great work and has
> produced amazing events.  The only problem I have ever had with SIAI is that
> it does not include women like me -- women who have been around for a long
> time and could contribute something meaningful to the conversation, outside
> of Eli's dismissal of women and/or media design as a substantial field o of
> inquiry and consequential to our future of AGIs.  But you and I have had
> this conversation several time before and I see nothing has changed.
>

Women like Aruna Vassar, Amy Willey, and Anna Salamon, that I work with and
communicate with all the time?  The staff at SIAI HQ mostly consists of
myself, Amy, and Vassar.  I just hired a female graphic artist for contract
work.


>  By the way, since you applauded a guy who dissed me a couple of years ago
> for my talk at the Goertzel's AI conference, I thought you might like to
> know that Kevin Kelly has a new book out _What Technology Wants_, which
> addresses technology from a similar thematic vantage as I addressed the
> Singularity and AI in my talk about what AGI wants and its intended
> consequences.
>

I never saw your talk at that AI conference, but I'm sorry if I clapped for
someone who dissed you.  For reasons that have actually been explained by
Dale Carrico, I object to the treating of "technology" as a monolithic,
personified entity as Kelly does, but I'll probably look into his book
eventually anyway.


>  Nevertheless, you are one of my favorite transhumanists and I admire your
> work.
>

Thanks!


>  By the way, this list's discussion on the Singularity was too focused on
> Eli and in a disparaging way.  I support and encourage more discussion from
> varied perspectives and I think that Stefano did a good job at this
> objectively presenting his own views, whether I agree with him or not they
> are far better than attacking Eli.
>

*puts on cult hat.*

Tremendous amounts of electronic ink have been spilled discussing Eliezer,
because he is such a fascinating person.

-- 
michael.anissimov at singinst.org
Singularity Institute
Media Director
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