[ExI] stealth singularity

spike at rainier66.com spike at rainier66.com
Fri Jun 14 19:33:06 UTC 2019



-----Original Message-----
From: extropy-chat <extropy-chat-bounces at lists.extropy.org> On Behalf Of
Stuart LaForge


Stuart great post.  I would take partial exception to the following comment:

>...On the other hand, you have an emerging market for human-like androids
like Sophia and the all the Japanese fembots. Those will need some semblance
of general intelligence to be adequate companions for the elderly and what
not. ...

Stuart LaForge


_______________________________________________

Ja, Stuart, I am compelled to counter-suggest: not necessarily.  We know
that an old lame technology from the 1970s (Eliza) does kinda sorta mimic a
human.  It was intentionally meant to parody psychologists, but it is an
entertaining toy even today.  Eliza is not intelligent at all.  

An AI-like script can be made using lookup tables, which can be derived from
the conversations of families with AD patients, and create a workable
mechanical companion.  With sufficiently impaired patients, even a
television show, such as the Waltons, can serve as a much-needed and
much-appreciated proxy for human companionship.

General intelligence would be good, but not necessary, for creating a
mechanical companion.  I would like to see humanity not wait around for
general AI (which might be a long ways off) when current tech could make
something for the impaired elderly which would be better than nothing.

This notion goes to noble goals beyond merely making buttloads of money
(assuming there are goals more noble than that.)  We could help a lot of
elderly people ease their pain of the declining years.  And simultaneously
achieve the other of course.

spike



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