[ExI] AI Motivation revisited

[john clark]

On Jul 3, 2011, at 4:53 AM, G. Livick wrote:

"the fact that the basic element of the digital computer, the bit, is perfectly modeled by an empty beer can.  A beer can is bi-stable, and can represent a 1 or a 0 in binary.  Given enough time and space, and enough beer cans, the most fantastic operation of any computer anywhere could be exactly duplicated with beer cans."

That is true and yes it is an amazing fact, almost as amazing as the fact that the most fantastic ideas anywhere can be modeled by 3 pounds of grey goo inside a box made of bone.

"In order for me to accept such a concept, it would have to survive the envisioning of a warehouse full of beer cans being manipulated in response to the same algorithm, and with a result adequate to leave me convinced the warehouse was my intellectual superior."

I submit that you would be forced to accept that something was your intellectual superior if it could consistently outsmart you, and this would be true regardless of whether you can envision how it operated, how a warehouse full of beer cans or Chinese slaves or Babbage engines could do such a thing. If you don't understand how the AI can be so smart that's your problem not the AI's. You have little understanding how the thing in a bone box sitting between the shoulders of your fellow human beings can do all sorts of smart things and behave as if it were conscious either, but nevertheless I have a hunch that you believe at least some of them are conscious and smart.

"The computer is faster at multiplication than I will ever be"

Yes, and that should give you a hint of what is to come.

"Beer cans would work, too"

Yes but so what? You seem to have a irrational prejudice against beer cans. I believe that beer cans are a perfectly respectable organization of atoms  

"Pliers, can openers, lawn mowers and TV clickers come to mind.  If we improve each of them radically over a number of years, is the time foreseeable when these other tools will become, in fact, equal or superior to humans?"

Certainly. How can there be any doubt?

 John K Clark 


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