Re: Probability of this and that...blah blah blah

From: Barkley Vowk (bvowk@math.ualberta.ca)
Date: Thu May 29 2003 - 21:21:38 MDT


On Thu, 29 May 2003, Matt Stewart wrote:

> "I'm afraid the chances of uber machines destroying the world is far far
> smaller than the chances of you just being off your medication." - Barkley Vowk

Mental illness: millions of documented cases, Uber machines: 0.
And where is my math wrong exactly? When the uber machines come and kill
me, I'll try and hold on long enough for that big "I told you so", but
these will be uber machines so I can make no promises.

Don't get me wrong, I really subscribe to the idea of AI, and posthuman
futures, but this is my future and a bunch of paranoids raving on the
internet isn't helping my hopeful posthumanity along. At this rate, we're
going to be locked in a dark, dank cell soon, and this bullshit paranoia
will usher in another dark age. Ok, its great that you're concerned, but
its way over the top.

We can't even get a word processor right and we're worried about its ugly
theoretical step-cousin destroying the earth for reasons only a hollywood
script writer could love. Funny.



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