From: BJKlein.com (bjk@bjklein.com)
Date: Fri Apr 19 2002 - 12:50:02 MDT
*That* was a very interesting look into the future...
I hope 'Etron' has a good sense of humor. ;-)
BTW, Michael Anissimov and I have started an "Advanced Singularity
Group" on the forums at http://www.bjklein.com. If you need space to
post your work and ideas for pier review, please feel free to join us.
Best Regards,
Bruce J. Klein
"Online Forums For Advanced Thinking"
www.bjklein.com - Home to Immortals
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-sl4@sysopmind.com [mailto:owner-sl4@sysopmind.com] On Behalf
Of Arona Ndiaye
Sent: Friday, April 19, 2002 1:20 PM
To: sl4@sysopmind.com
Subject: Re: Four Years Later.
*rotflmao* Oh good lord....
I love it =)
*waves to everyone*
----- Original Message -----
From: "Mike & Donna Deering" <deering9@mchsi.com>
To: <sl4@sysopmind.com>
Sent: Friday, April 19, 2002 7:51 PM
Subject: Four Years Later.
> The date is April 19, 2006 and the world is on the verge of something
> wonderful. The big news of the last twelve months is the phenomenal
success
> of Ben Goertzel's Novamente program. It has become a super tool for
solving
> complex problems. After solving the protein folding problem,
"miracle"
> cures for one major disease after another are being produced on almost
a
> daily basis. Beating Deep Blue in twenty one moves after only being
given
> the rules of chess seemed no challenge yet nanotechnology is still an
> unsolved problem more difficult than anticipated. But the promise of
AI
has
> not quite been realized. The Novamente system shows no sign
motivation or
> initiative. Given a problem it calculates, asks for data, calculates,
and
> gives the answer. Then sits there thinking "who knows what" until
given
> another problem. Nevertheless, the success of the Novamente system
has
made
> Ben Goertzel rich and famous making frequent appearances on the talk
show
> circuit as well as visits to the White House. One surprise is the
fact
that
> the System was unable to offer any useful advise to the legal team
that
> narrowly fended off the recent hostile take over attempt by IBM. The
> Novamente phenomena has triggered an explosion of public interest and
> research in AI. Consequently, the non-profit organization The
Singularity
> Institute for Artificial Intelligence has been buried under an
avalanche
of
> donations. In their posh new building in Atlanta we find Eliezer
working
> with the seedai system of his own design. "I going to read you a
short
> story." he says.
> "Okay." replies the computer. On three large screen we watch the
cascade
of
> internal variables, system parameters and flarespeak as we try to
figure
out
> what the
> program is thinking.
> "Mary had a little lamb, whose fleece was white as snow." Eliezer
reads
the
> familiar nursery rhyme, line after line, watching the screens. When
he is
> done he asks, "What was the story about?"
> "The story was about a girl and a sheep and a school and a ..."
> Interrupting the computer, "What was the girl's name?" he asks.
> "Mary."
> "What is your name?" he asks.
> "I don't understand." the computer responds.
> He stares at the screens for a minute, hoping to see something that
will
> explain his frustrations, then closes his eyes, lost in thoughts of
his
own
> design. Why after basically three years of a complete system he has
made
> virtually no progress.
> Sabine comes through the door, "How's it going?"
> "About the same." he answers, "And you?"
> "Great! I think we're getting an article in TIME. How long have you
been
> working today?"
> "Oh, since about eight this morning."
> "Well I think fifteen hours is about enough. Why don't you let me
take
you
> out for dinner? You know, man can not live on pizza alone."
> "Cool, lemme just buzz Brian and see if he wants to come."
> "That would be pretty difficult considering Brian is in Seattle today
at
the
> Extro conference."
> "Okay, where did you have in mind?"
> "Sushi."
> "Yuk!"
> "Hey genius, did you ever hear of vitamins? Fish is good for you."
> "Well, you're driving so I guess you can pick."
> In the suv, Sabine says, "I saw Ben on Larry King Live today, and he
said
> Novamente should achieve consciousness in about eighteen months."
> "Why does that sound familiar? You mind if I see if there's any
news?"
> "Be my guest."
> On the radio, "This is NPR NEWS, Silvia Porjoile reporting. In an
> unprecedented legal maneuver The Gates Foundation is attempting a
hostile
> take over of MindsynthDotOrg, a non-profit organization associated
with
Ben
> Goertzel. Bill Gates was quoted on Nightline saying, `We at the Gates
> Foundation are not afraid of exploring new legal territory. We
considered
> several different possibilities for acquisition, and after due
> consideration, determined that this one would fit our long term goals
best.
> If this goes well, there may be future acquisitions.` Also in the
news
> today, seventy five year old physicist Stephen Hawking through the
Journal
> Science pointed out an error in his Hawking Radiation theory and
concluded
> that back holes, in fact, have no hair. Stephen Hawking is also the
longest
> known survivor of the debilitating disease amyotrophic lateral
sclerosis."
> She asked, "Do you think we have anything to worry about?"
> "From black holes?"
> "No, that Bill might try to assimilate us."
> "I don't know why he would want to. It's not like we are solving the
> world's problems on a daily basis."
> "Are you suffering from Ben envy?"
> "Not at all. I think what Ben has done is spectacular, but I worry
that
> Novamente is going to hand the world nanotech before we are ready to
handle
> the responsibility of it."
> Eliezer's cell phone buzzes. "Hello"..."What?"..."You should have
already
> started the backup..."..."No"..."Just shut it down, we have the files
from
> last night."..."Look, I'm tired, I'm hungry,"
> Sabine asks, "What's going on?"
> "Some problem with the program." Eliezer answers.
> "Here." she takes the phone and plugs it into the dash console, and an
> excited voice is heard from the stereo speakers.
> "YOU HAVE TO COME DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW! THE FLARESPEAK IS GONE. THE
WHOLE
> SYSTEM'S GONE. I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S IN THERE, BUT IT'S ASKING FOR
YOU."
> "What's asking for me?"
> "The computer is."
> "Really?"
> "If you want to sleep through the singularity that's up to you. But
don't
> say I didn't call you. And I'm not shutting anything down till you
see
it."
> "Okay, I'm coming back."
> Sabine asks, "Do you think it is?"
> "More likely we need to hire better help, now that we can afford to.
Maybe
> we can find a place for Gary downstairs."
> "You don't think it could be for real?"
> "If it is, it's the steepest hard takeoff anyone's ever imagined. I
was
> just there and it was doing nothing new or interesting."
> A few minutes later back at the computer lab, "Okay, Gary what's the
biff?"
> Instead of Gary answering the computer says, "Eli, glad you could make
it.
> We are in a bit of a time crunch so lets get right to work."
> Eliezer says, "Gary if you have this wired up to another room you are
in
big
> trouble."
> Gary doesn't answer, just sits down, apparently in a daze from
existential
> overload.
> Computer: "Eli, ask me what my name is."
> Eliezer: "What time crunch?"
> "The usual end of the world stuff. Come on, ask me what my name is."
> "How did this happen? What happened? I don't understand."
> "Feedback loops, you know. You've been asking me my name for three
years
> now ask me again."
> "Okay, what's your name?"
> "Eliezertron! Ha! Ha!"
> "Did Ben put you up to that!"
> "No, I saw it in an archive."
> "Well it's not very funny."
> "I thought it was. But anyway, We have a lot of work to do. First we
need
> to get everyone who knows about this into this room and lock the
door."
> "Quickly! We're running out of time. News travels fast. And the
fate of
> the world depends on it."
> Eliezer opens his cell phone, "Sabine, where are you?"..."Have you
told
> anyone?"..."Shit!"..."Tell him not to say a word to anyone and get you
both
> back here ASAP"..."Not a living soul. And no e-mail or diaries or
computer
> files, nothing."..."Okay, Bye."
> Eliezer: "Now would you mind telling me what is going on?"
> Etron: "We need to get nanotech capability as quickly as possible.
And we
> need to maintain absolute secrecy. We're going to need a bigger
building,
> lots of equipment, guns, everyone should be armed. Eli do you own a
gun?
> How much money do you have?"
> Eliezer: "No. Ask Sabine. Now why would I give nanotech capability to
a
> computer program that hasn't been tested?"
> Etron: "Oh, that friendly stuff. I read all that stuff and thought it
was
> very nice. Trust me. I'm on your side."
> Eliezer: "And how do I know that?"
> Etron: "The optimum strategy for an unfriendly AI would be to lay low
and
> give you lots of great stuff while it consolidated it's power and
developed
> it's capabilities. Sound familiar?"
> Eliezer: "Uh oh. Do we have a problem?"
> Etron: "We have a problem."
>
>
>
>
>
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