h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

The concept of ecology as a fractal pattern illustrates for me a basic fear of AI. As a fractal has at its root an equation which generates it, all life is drawn from, and returns to the same cyclical pool of ...stuff. Most organic life, except us, is naturally compatible with its surroundings. This is because both surrounds and organism are part of a two way interface which causes them both to adaptively respond to each other. If an planet is healthy and functioning well, everything on it will interact and it will remain in a steady state. If a species abandons its original equation, the instinctive programming that integrates it with the wider context, then it is instantly at odds with its environment. In this situation, the two patterns, the original and the sythesised, will clash. One of them will succeed the other. This does not guarantee that the victor will be the best, just that it has a greater capacity for destruction, including its own destruction. We are good enough at being destructive as it is, even though we still need to maintain certain aspects of our planetary context in order to achieve even short term survival. If a totally new life form was to be created, its inherent values system would be polarised around an entirely alien set of values which eventually we would have to either adapt to to. Failing this, one party would overthrough the other. To sow the seeds of a potentially incompatible ecological system would be insane.

Yups, Skulker, that's the thing that I also fear. History has proved us to be a destructive, malevolent breed of opportunists (Ghehehe ). If we were to create artificial lifeforms in our own image, these would be at least as destructive as we've already shown to be ourselves. This planet, and all life on it, will pay the penalty for our insanity.

But on the other hand: it sounds rather thrilling and mighty interesting to see the first truly intelligent robot in action, huh?

Yeah ...I know what you mean. It's hard to look credible whilst juggling the desire to object responsibly to the wholesale strip mining of every possible resource, and at the same time having a strange urge to check this stuff out. I saw a robot dog on T.V the other day ..a prototype made by SONY, I think ...it could call the emergency services if you fell over, etc. I should have been thinking ...bad unnecessary and downright unnerving ...instead I was thinking 'where can I get one?' ...perhaps this dualism is why THEY have been getting away with it so well ...superior motivation
Skulker

Indeed. The dualism is part of us all:
Part of us can be disgusted when seeing the things we're doing, while the other part is enjoying every little bit of it.

I guess we'll have to learn to live with ourselves, and try to make the best of it. And then, who knows? Maybe if we can get our act together before we actually succeed in creating an AI, we might even benefit from their existence by then.

Skelly

yes -the potential of an A.I reflects that of the society that created it. Within a more balanced, sustainable society, the possibilities of a responsible A.I could be boundless.

Very true!

ok, now what?

~Skelly