Re: 2002 Achievements (re: Singularity Institute - update)

From: doug.bailey@ey.com
Date: Thu May 01 2003 - 11:47:12 MDT


Eliezer wrote:

> "Not all that much progress occurred, measurable or otherwise, that
> I can recall offhand. Why would you think I would argue that? I'm a
> Singularity activist, not a Singularity skeptic. My job is not to
> convince you that there will be a Singularity, but to try and implement
> one. To do that I have to measure the amount of existing progress as
> accurately as I can, and frankly I recall that 2002 seemed like a pretty
> boring year technology-wise."

Hopefully you appreciate however that for someone to be a Friendly AI
advocate ("advocate" in the "let me give you some of my money to fund that
research" advocate sort of way) people need to understand the need
for Friendly AI. The progress of the discussion will likely start with
helping the person to understand the concept of technological progress and
its exponential nature. Next, you'll need to discuss artificial
intelligence
which will also involve the exorcism of the Hollywood AI image from the
person ("this house is safe"). After you manage that small feat, its on
to describing the Singularity in a conceptual fashion. Then you need to
tie up the relevance of the conversation to that point by convincing the
person of the inevitability of the Singularity. (Here's where my questions
about progress to date are concerned. Most people with money are results-
oriented people. If "progress" is a few papers were written and a few
thousand posts were made to a mailing list then the Singularity is on equal
footing with a thousand other "movement".

Once all this has been accomplished then you can talk about Friendly AI to
potential supporters. The discussion path I've outlined above has been
the general course my discussions have taken with laypersons on these
topics.

Doug

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