RE: SI Uploads, Fast-forward, was : Collapsarity

From: Lee Corbin (lcorbin@tsoft.com)
Date: Wed Mar 26 2003 - 20:21:54 MST


Paul asks

> > [Eliezer wrote:]
> >> That is not "rescue". That is the same tragedies on fast-forward.
> >> It would not seem to be helpful in any way.
> >
> > Eli,
> >
> > Could you please clarify this position? Why would you consider an SI
> > uploading us into their domain a tragedy, and what is fast-forward??
>
> I would consider an SI uploading us into their domain, and then leaving
> events on Earth completely untouched, a "tragedy" to exactly the same
> degree that those events would be a tragedy wherever they occurred.
> Medieval torture chamber inside an SI, medieval torture chamber outside an
> SI, it makes no difference. A medieval torture chamber running in faster
> processing time is the same tragedy in fast-forward, like the fast-forward
> button on your VCR or DVD or whatever. At least it's fast-forward from an
> external perspective; internally, of course, it's the same computation.

In other words, compared to what should or could be taking
place, our current situation is intolerable. Far too many
entities on Earth are experiencing too little joy, and too
much unhappiness. Far too little of the available matter
and energy within easy reach is not being used to benefit
entities. After a singularity has occurred, on the other
hand, it will seem so obvious and so necessary to all the
survivors that pre-Singularity denizens were deprived
and denied almost beyond words.

The real tragedy aspect, however, is that the advent of such
an uncaring SI (much as it was hypothesized applied to the
case of our former lord Jehovah) bespeaks the present of near
omniscience with complete lack of sympathy---and what could
spell disaster any clearer than that?

Yet an even worse by far characteristic to the tragedy is
that such an SI would doubtless preclude the emergence of
Friendly AI.

Just my two cents. Hope it helps.

Lee



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