From: Marc Geddes (marc_geddes@yahoo.co.nz)
Date: Sat Jun 04 2005 - 02:02:18 MDT
Yikes. This may seem like a rather odd posting. Er...it seems that some people may have taken some of my past postings on the topic of AI/Singularity a little too seriously. Probably I posted one too many wild ideas.
I thought A.I is fun to research but I there's no way I could ever seriously take a crack at a real project - I ain't got the brains, time or money. So no, I'm definitely not attempting to build an AGI in my basement. I'm just a lowly science writer O.K ?
I'm afraid I also have to say that I wish to distance myself from the 'Collective Volition' concept discussed by the 'Singularity Institute' people. In the extreme unlikelihood that someone's private A.I project ever *did* look like it might be as powerful as some enthusiasts have claimed, I would of course agree that they should be approached and should turn over all their equipment and knowledge to the democratically elected government. Of course any discussion of 'taking over the world' or stuff like that is purely either light-hearted or hypothetical. If I ever did say something that could be construed as such a scenario on any message boards anywhere, I was joking.
I thought the topic of AI/Singularity was fascinating, but I've only ever been looking into it as a fun hobby. I thought the list might be a fun place to throw out the odd wild idea. Most of my ideas were of course, probably complete crap, but you never know.
I say, if you want a better world ya gotta work through the democratic process and stop being silly. If, speaking purely hypothetically, there ever was some sort of dispute between an A.I researcher and the United States Government for instance, I have to declare that I would be firmly on the side of the democratically elected United States Government and *not* on the side of the A.I researchers.
I know this may seem like a bit of a silly post to some, but in the past I've been the sort of person who tended to blurt out wild ideas without thinking. It was all meant to be purely hypothetical and in fun O.K? It wasn't meant to be serious. And that goes for all my posts about Singularity/AI. I'm inclined to think that no one would really imagine that I was serious. I'm just a hobbyist, not a serious A.I researcher. But just on the off-chance that someone did take some of my postings a *tinny* bit seriously, I have to put in this silly sounding disclaimer.
--- THE BRAIN is wider than the sky, For, put them side by side, The one the other will include With ease, and you beside. -Emily Dickinson 'The brain is wider than the sky' http://www.bartleby.com/113/1126.html --- Please visit my web-site: Mathematics, Mind and Matter http://www.riemannai.org/ --- Send instant messages to your online friends http://au.messenger.yahoo.com
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