So I'm getting through WEB 3.0 by Max Tegmark which is a book about the possible futures of Artificial Intelligence, and once you get past the rather silly introduction it's actually quite a balanced read.
The general gist is that we are on the verge of major breakthroughs in Artificial Intelligence with the possibility of AIs being able to develop their own hardware within the next 100 years, at which point we will have self-improving AIs in the truest sense of the word.
It is this ability of technology to be able to develop its own hardware and thus self-improve that Tegmark defines as Life 3.0...
The Key Debates
The book covers a number of issues that are of concern to AI developers such as when we may have the first superintelligent AIs that basically do not NEED human input (within the next 100 years as a broad range), and then of course how broad or narrow we want those AI (probably broader than a chess AI, probably narrower than an AI programmed to think its' God).
Also there are issues of how we align the goals of the AI with ours as they are only as 'good' as the data we feed them, but of course a self-replicating AI may well be able to change its goals.
Basically there are lots of issues up for debate and Tegmark does a pretty good job of providing a balanced view somewhere between luddism and techno-utopianism.
Is AI a life form?
This was an interesting chapter. According to Tegmark if we define Life as anything with intelligence and intelligence is simply the ability to perform complex goals (self-admitted broad definitions) then yes because intelligence and thus life are just functions of:
- the ability to compute
- memory
- the ability to learn.
Which AIs can already do.
Hmmm, I somehow think this guy might be a humanist!
AI optimism or Pessimism...?
The intro chapter struck me as a bit silly - it's a fictional account of some AI researchers who initially programme an AI to do piece work on Amazon, then use that money to create another one which makes films, makes shed loads of money and then through various upgrades it takes over the stock market and eventually advises governments on policies resulting a highly unlikely AI-led libertarian world government in which everyone prospers.
Maybe that's one way AI can go, and maybe he wrote it to contrast against the Terminator style AI dystopia we are all more familiar with.
Either way it looks like we are not that far off self-replicating AIs which can produce their own hardware.
Although we probably won't see them having significant social influence in my life time, and frankly I think I'm glad of that!
With Longevity research now firmly starting its exponential ride(on the back of AI and Quantum computing), you might just live long enough to see that change.
Sometimes I wonder if we landed AGI BEFORE the mobile phone and social media how different life would be. Social media(mainstream) has hurt our ability to really connect with people on a human level I feel.
You should definitely drop an amazon affiliate link with a review like this - great stuff, going to order a copy myself now.
Thanks for sharing!
This looks like a book to add to my library. I think I will have to increase my knowledge base about AI.
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It's a good book for the basic philosophical debates, that's for sure!
Sounds interesting. I'll have to look it up. I read Superintelligence a few years ago (Amazon link) and that was good but so pessimistic. It was very well written and gave a lot of good ideas. A bit information dense at times but good. But pessimistic!
I prefer to remain optimistic of what is coming. I mean, even if some crazy guys program the AI to kill all humans (and let's face it, this is inevitable), if AI is truly intelligent, it will be capable of making it's own choices and it may be just as likely or unlikely to follow such instructions as you or I would be. If they can remember everything, they presumably could understand the consequences or their actions better than we often can, and that combined with simple logic would probably lead them to make mortal choices. I think more Data (from star trek) than evil Arnold (from terminator).
But whatever the case may be, it will be interesting to see what comes.
I agree with your outlook, but how long would we need to wait for true intelligent and self-regulating AI? It's the time between now and when an intelligent AI appears that is the most dangerous I feel.
That's a good question and yeah your concern is probably right on the money.
I'm not too pessimistic - I mean most researchers and companies are keen to think these issues tbrough cautiosly!
Written when?!
IA couple years ago was ideas in development, now, we have such great IA tools for daily tasks that people is already seeing fast advance.
Interesting. I think that bio-machines are coming, which will be a synthisis of silicon/ML/AI fused with a "biological bag" capable of reproduction. What will we consider that? and how will society be altered as a result?
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In a word, it's going to be.... interesting!
It looks like an interesting read. I've been interested in AI for quite a long time in regards to describing artificial intelligences in fictional far future scifi settings. Lol, although that is a scenario that's been fairly well covered in scifi.
I do think we're right at one of those fulcrum points of history where reality starts to reflect some past scifi ideas. I'm not sure if it's going to be a good or bad thing 🙄
I need to have a play around with some of the stuff online, I've seen a few posts.
I think overall I'll be happier in Yurt in a field with less tech!
Yeah, I've played around with quite a few AI art generative programs... but honestly, I only use them to add to written posts aesthetically. It kinda feels a bit odd asking an AI to create art 😂 But when it accentuates poetry or adds extra atmos to a short story I'm good with it.
I've heard there are AI writing algorithms, which I'm more than a little ambivalent about. I really don't think an AI could reproduce that creative spark of good fiction or the talent you see in a really well-stylised blog or article... at least I hope not, or my days are numbered in regards to earning as a jobbing writer 😕