Gideon Rosenblatt I had this bookmarked from this morning and I am only now catching up with it, (thank you Zara Altair for the reminder). I am a total optimist because in a way what is to happen is the only thing that we are capable of making happen. Yes, we concern ourselves with the dangers and we question our motives and the effect we will have. Ultimately what comes out will be the only possible outcome that we are capable of bringing about (and if there is an interim stage or a faltering start then that is not the final outcome). And that final outcome will reflect our ability to pass on the very best of us or a total incapability to understand what it is that makes us tick beyond the functionality of our biomechanical bodies.
I came across Alva Noe today and his take on ethics totally resonates: http://goo.gl/3TkpZw - the moment we discuss imbuing AI with _our_values we are really talking about "safe appliances" rather than real AI. Real AI will mean that we, as a species, will have birthed another species and our adventure will take a new turn entirely. Either way it really is an adventure.
David Amerland A new species! And beyond sentient, soulful. we'll have to try to convince beings who are smarter than us and who are independent of us, that they should not be indifferent to us and to our value. The exact point where I wonder as does Gideon Rosenblatt about the soul. Adventures have an unknown quotient which is what makes them adventures. Thank you for your thoughtful (as always) post.
Thanks David Amerland and Zara Altair. On the question of optimism, A. H. Almaas, makes what I believe is a useful distinction between hope and faith. Hope is wishing for a particular outcome that you want. Faith is knowing that what happens, happens for the best. I lean towards the latter, but am not always successful. Thanks for the pointer to Alva Noe's article, David. It would seem that he is also betting on the latter, that what emerges in the values of AI (assuming it does) will be something that will deserve intrinsic respect and be valued of its own standing. In other words, we may wish to inject or subject our values onto such a system, but that that is a form of slavery.
Perhaps, another view would be more along the lines of parent and child. My sons are quite likely to surpass me on many counts, and at some point, they will be free to develop their own values, even though, as their father, I now try my best to seed them with the very, very best ones I can conjure up. :)
Gideon Rosenblatt Travel down the hope path, you'll end up with Camus. Love your distinction. I'm with you on faith. Love your parental analogy. Both of my children seem so much more than I am in many ways. The seeds sprout.
Camus. Just looked for the quote which has stayed with me for many years. So, loosely recalled, "Hope is the curse of the human condition." Don't know where it is. Sorry. Quotes without sources suck. :(
Thank you, Zara Altair. I'm so glad. :)
ReplyDeleteGideon Rosenblatt I appreciate your writing about this. Wonder what David Amerland thinks. :)
ReplyDeleteGideon Rosenblatt I had this bookmarked from this morning and I am only now catching up with it, (thank you Zara Altair for the reminder). I am a total optimist because in a way what is to happen is the only thing that we are capable of making happen. Yes, we concern ourselves with the dangers and we question our motives and the effect we will have. Ultimately what comes out will be the only possible outcome that we are capable of bringing about (and if there is an interim stage or a faltering start then that is not the final outcome). And that final outcome will reflect our ability to pass on the very best of us or a total incapability to understand what it is that makes us tick beyond the functionality of our biomechanical bodies.
ReplyDeleteI came across Alva Noe today and his take on ethics totally resonates: http://goo.gl/3TkpZw - the moment we discuss imbuing AI with _our_values we are really talking about "safe appliances" rather than real AI. Real AI will mean that we, as a species, will have birthed another species and our adventure will take a new turn entirely. Either way it really is an adventure.
David Amerland A new species! And beyond sentient, soulful.
ReplyDeletewe'll have to try to convince beings who are smarter than us and who are independent of us, that they should not be indifferent to us and to our value.
The exact point where I wonder as does Gideon Rosenblatt about the soul.
Adventures have an unknown quotient which is what makes them adventures.
Thank you for your thoughtful (as always) post.
Thanks David Amerland and Zara Altair. On the question of optimism, A. H. Almaas, makes what I believe is a useful distinction between hope and faith. Hope is wishing for a particular outcome that you want. Faith is knowing that what happens, happens for the best. I lean towards the latter, but am not always successful. Thanks for the pointer to Alva Noe's article, David. It would seem that he is also betting on the latter, that what emerges in the values of AI (assuming it does) will be something that will deserve intrinsic respect and be valued of its own standing. In other words, we may wish to inject or subject our values onto such a system, but that that is a form of slavery.
ReplyDeletePerhaps, another view would be more along the lines of parent and child. My sons are quite likely to surpass me on many counts, and at some point, they will be free to develop their own values, even though, as their father, I now try my best to seed them with the very, very best ones I can conjure up. :)
Gideon Rosenblatt Travel down the hope path, you'll end up with Camus. Love your distinction. I'm with you on faith.
ReplyDeleteLove your parental analogy. Both of my children seem so much more than I am in many ways. The seeds sprout.
Agreed on kids, Zara Altair. I'm moving past it now, but I used to get great delight when my sons would stump me or say something unusually profound.
ReplyDeleteNow I just pretend I didn't hear it. ;)
Can you say more about the Camus connection. I've only read him once, and that was a long time ago.
Camus. Just looked for the quote which has stayed with me for many years. So, loosely recalled, "Hope is the curse of the human condition." Don't know where it is. Sorry. Quotes without sources suck. :(
ReplyDeleteAh...I remember reading The Stranger long ago, Zara Altair, and the strange feeling it left me with.
ReplyDeleteBut yes, if the quote is along those lines of what you're saying, yes, I think that may be the point. Buddhists might call it grasping, I suppose.
Gideon Rosenblatt Yes grasping works.
ReplyDeleteA related quote:
A man without ethics is a wild beast loosed upon this world.
Albert Camus
Real this time, not just from my 40 year memory. :)
Gideon Rosenblatt Read L'etranger long ago. Then about 10 years ago purchased an audio of Camus reading. I listen about every two years of so.
ReplyDelete