Singularity Salon Talk

Putting the Human Back Into the Post-Human

If I Can’t Dance, I Don’t Want to be Part of Your Singularity Some Meandering Thoughts by Jamais Cascio

What is the Singularity? A disproportionate increase in the power of intelligence to achieve desired ends, including further boosting the power of intelligence.

Within thirty years, we will have the technological means to create superhuman intelligence. Shortly after, the human era will be ended.

Within thirty years, we will have the technological means to create superhuman intelligence. Shortly after, the human era will be ended. –Vernor Vinge, 1993

The Singularity story echoes two very old tropes in popular mythology, but with a more recent twist.

HUBRIS. We make things that try to kill us.

ASPIRATION TO HUMANITY. We make things that want to be like us.

The twist? Transcendence.

The Singularity Story (in ﬁve slides)

we create AI

The AI “wakes up”

The AI makes itself smarter

The AI makes itself much smarter

The AI takes over It might be friendly It might be unfriendly (not much we can do about it, either way)

(the end)

But what happens when you change the focus?

we create AI

we create AI (but now the focus of the story is the “we”)

we create AI (but now the focus of the story is the “we”) OK, what “we”? Are there competing projects? Is this secret? Public? Civilian? Military? Open Source? How do governments react? How do markets react? How do citizens react? What are we doing in the meantime?

not the end

What’s Pushing Us to Do This? Technological capacity Competition (markets & politics) Need for complex systems to grapple with complex problems Curiosity

What Might Hold Us Back? Dead-end technology paths Regulations Backlash against AI (or related technologies) Fear

COMPLICATION #1: RESPONSIBILITY CREATION HAS CONSEQUENCES

COMPLICATION #2: POWER POLITICS MATTERS

COMPLICATION #3: LIABILITY A NO-FAULT SINGULARITY?

COMPLICATION #4: RIGHTS NO SUCH THING AS A HAPPY SLAVE OR AN ETHICAL MASTER

COMPLICATION #5: EMPATHY DON’T KICK THE ROBOT

So… where does this all lead?

Scenarios!

Scenarios! tool for collaboration vs tool for competition short-term thinking vs long-term thinking

cascio@openthefuture.com Twitter: @cascio

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Singularity Salon Talk

by Jamais Cascio on Oct 03, 2009

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Singularity Salon Talk — Presentation Transcript