Re: Collapsarity

From: Gordon Worley (redbird@rbisland.cx)
Date: Wed Apr 02 2003 - 07:00:44 MST


On Tuesday, April 1, 2003, at 10:00 AM, Gary Miller wrote:

> If a Friendly AI were to grant all of our desires from cradle to grave
> the result would be that humanity would devolve into a race of greedy
> hedonistic parasites without any motivation to do anything or to work
> for anything for themselves.

First, standard disclaimer about speculating about what will happen
after the Singularity. I normally wouldn't say anything, but I felt
compelled to reply to this.

This does not mean that we would necessarily become parasites. For
example, although I have no way to show it, I suspect that if you asked
the FAI "please, do my research for me and tell me the answer to X",
the FAI might choose to respond by making you a lot smarter so that you
can figure the answer out for yourself. There will probably still be
pain and suffering post Singularity, but it will be of a different
kind. You'll still suffer when you fail to get a date, but will have
much better porn. However, you'll never suffer because you were hungry
or because someone tried to shoot you up. There's a difference between
suffering from lack of necessity and suffering from lack of desire.

--
Gordon Worley                      "It requires a very unusual mind
http://www.rbisland.cx/               to undertake the analysis of
redbird@rbisland.cx                           the obvious."
PGP:  0xBBD3B003                        --Alfred North Whitehead


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