The Problem of Consciousness and the Singularity

The Problem of Consciousness and the Singularity

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  The Nature ofConsciousness why we can’t put it in machines (yet) Stefan van der Wel
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  Know your transhumanist TheExtropian Wants to live forever in a free-market, libertarian paradise, his psyche augmented by the best technology and drugs. • Currently reading: BioMEMS: Fundamentals of Implant Microfabrication • Most recent meal: Day 9 of calorie- restricted diet: 20 grams of protein, 1 gram of carbohydrates, 600 ml of water. • Favorite tattoo: SPINAL IMPLANT GOES HERE. • Saved on iPod: Full genetic code • Biggest fears: Death, taxes. The Singularitarian Believes people will soon merge with computers and become an immortal new life-form - a "singular" event in human history. • Currently reading: Collected Stories of Vernor Vinge and The Cyborg Handbook • Most recent meal: Whatever is in the lab vending machine. • Favorite tattoo: EVERYBODY LOVES RAYMOND (KURZWEIL). • Saved on iPod: Algorithms. Lots of Algorithms • Stored in his basement: Self-evolving AI network running on 42 linked PCs. • Biggest fears: Direct sunlight, women. Vernor Vinge (1993): “Within thirty years, we will have the technological means to create superhuman intelligence. Shortly after, the human era will be ended From wired circa 2003
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  Chat with DavidPearce: “Singularity unlikely because of the Binding Problem of Consciousness” David Pearce • Co-founder of world transhumanist association (now humanity plus) • interested in the use of biotechnology to abolish suffering • Discusses Consciousness in a piece on ‘NON- MATERIALIST PHYSICALISM’ • Lives off selling domain names he bought in the early days of the internet! Singularity Scenarios Discussion • Traditional view: Hard takeoff of artificial general intelligence. AI rearchitects itself leading to runaway recursive self-improvement (Ray K, Vernor Vinge) • My take: Memeplex super entity emerging from unconscious thought interaction between BCI connected people due to increase in transmission speed and throughput of memes/culture. Loosely based off memetics, pan psychism, self- reference / strange loop theory (Dan Dennett, Susan Blackmore, Douglas Hofstadter)
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  The Binding Problemof Consciousness How do we unify all sensory inputs to produce a unified simulation of reality? • Hard Problem of Consciousness: why aren’t we p-zombies • Segregation problem: how do brains segregate elements in complex patterns of sensory input so that they are allocated to discrete "objects" • Combination problem: how objects, background and abstract or emotional features are combined into a single experience • Maybe due to classical massive parallelism in brain data processing? The Cartesian theatre model of consciousness. Dan Dennett believes it’s an illusion David Pearce thinks it’s a quantum phenomena
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  Your reality simulationEngine “Your brain hallucinates your conscious reality” - Anil Seth Brain is a prediction engine, combines electric signals to form a “best guess” of reality Perception is controlled hallucination, reality is the parts of our hallucination we agree upon “Brain isn’t only dependent on signals coming into the brain, but on perceptual predictions. We don’t just passively perceive, we actively generate” To really “get it” lucid dream
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  My brain in‘offline’ mode (dreaming) Lucid Dreaming – Reality engine defects My reality check tests • Gravity doesn’t work • People are a simple bunch • Mirror images turn into people • If you think too hard you wake up.. Not enough CPU ? ;-) • Things reappear after being destroyed • Visual & Sensory discrepancies Why aren’t we always lucid in dreams? Brain naturally generates theories for all sorts of ridiculous this that happen in dreams and not as many rational process are running One defect example: Visual location of tree branch out of synch with sensory location
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  Experience of selfis a controlled hallucination The model of self perceives/predicts it wrong
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  Introspective Sense ofSelf is about Control and Regulation of the Body • Ability to assess and regulate body likely gave rise to consciousness Bodily Self-regulation A lot of legacy code….. Try dieting if you disagree!
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  Model-dependent realism –Abstract Models The stuff humans do better than other animals… models in an evolutionary fight for survival within conscious hosts “it is meaningless to talk about the "true reality" of a model as we can never be absolutely certain of anything. The only meaningful thing is the usefulness of the model.”
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  Is individual decision makingalso an illusion? Unaware thought processes make the decisions and then we assign agency after the fact “There are strong indications that the subconscious mind, those thought-processes that by their very definition we are unaware of, are actually responsible for many, if not most, of our intellectual capabilities.“ Some research suggesting's that many decisions that seem to be under more conscious control than they actually are. In many cases, consciousness may simply be window dressing.
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  Lucid dream introspection:Decisioning Different parts of the brain process sensory data and make different decisions, Amygdala “reptilian” brain has final say I tested what would happen during a head on collision within a lucid dream • Neo-cortex knows it’s a dream and can’t be hurt • Amygdala got scared, braces for impact, pumped my body with adrenaline • Instinctively want to swerve – do not • “Interpersonal agency engine“ predicted other car would serve, It did not • Car passed right through mine, no memories of head-on crashes? • Reality simulator adjusted understanding of environment, second car was rendered to look like grand theft auto car
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  Singularity & ConsciousnessSummary BINDING PROBLEM OF HOW THE MIND INTEGRATES OBJECTS, BACKGROUND AND EMOTIONS INTO COHERENT EXPERIENCES NOT UNDERSTOOD SILICON GENRAL ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE WILL REMAIN P- ZOMBIES EVEN IF IT PASSES TURING TEST DUE TO BINDING PROBLEM BINDING PROBLEM MAY PREVENT WORLD SCALE SUPER CONSCIOUSNESS AS A WORLD SIMULATION MAY NOT WORK ACROSS DISTRIBUTED NODES
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  What about immediate‘extropian’ outcomes Immediate Mindfulness – observe your decisioning processes Be selective on what complex parts of reality you model Quantitive self – more data for decisioning! Fitbits, chip implants.. Data, data, data Less immediate – more brain computer interfaces The actual interface to the brain is so crude today, and it relies a lot on the power of the computing or signal analysis outside of the brain. What we want is an electronic circuit that can communicate neurally. BCI to ‘feel’ additional decisioning engine output. Computers can think much faster than us their output could be feelings for us… BCI to feel collective thinking: Group think After that? Replacement of all legacy senses… live your life in a lucid dream with an internet connection?
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  Bring dreams ‘online’
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  Transhumanist splice Memeplex ? •Not everyone has given up on it • Lincoln Cannon is a technologist and philosopher, and leading advocate of technological evolution and post secular religion. • Is attempting to ‘meme splice’ transhumanism with Mormonism • Founded Mormon transhumanist association