From: pdugan (pdugan@vt.edu)
Date: Thu Sep 29 2005 - 20:38:03 MDT
I found Robert Steele's review of TSIN and his article referenced at the
review's end to be very illuminating to the fundamental problem underlying
research of singularity tech, public understanding and perhaps even the
economics connecting the two: we need better interaction. In terms of software
engineering this means better interaction between interior components, in
terms of research this means better discourse between collegues, but in the
larger sphere this means better interactivity between human beings and the
technology we depend on. If information technology were both truly democratic
and tailored to the needs of people on an individual basis this could
facilitate the power of individuals to "think their way to prosperity", as
Steele puts it. It seems reasonable to conjecture that better interactivity
means better quality of life, more solidarity and stronger economic
performance, which means the garden variety existential risks like nuclear war
become marginalized while funding for Seed AI projects becomes more accesible.
What can we do as individuals to promote this nessecary shift in human
affairs? Consider that Yudkowsky's FAI guidelines are largely concerned with
the interaction between a Seed AI's structural components as well as the
principles of interaction between a Seed AI programmer and a fledgling AGI.
The Foresight Institute's guidlines for MTN research are concerned almost
entirely with how the respective parties of government, researchers and
corporations should interact to ensure no one party exceeds their bounds and
instigates disaster. The promise of Novamente's design is largely in its
underlying premise of teaching and nurturing an AGI through external
(programmer) and internal (simulated exercise) interactions. I think the first
step is to consider our various interests and endeavors in terms of who and
how we interact in progress to our respective goals. I think a next step would
be to consider the transformative value of an AI project which isn't intented
immediately seize the grail of superintelligence, but which is designed to
provide individuals with the information they need to act sensibly and in the
best interests of the entire techno/species collective. Imagine the cliche of
a Global Brain but without the loss of heterogenaity or the pressure to
interface in any sort of bio-invasive manner.
Patrick Dugan
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