raza@cs.hw.ac.uk (Z. Raza Hussain) (01/16/90)
"ultra intelligent machines when they evolve, will keep us on as pets!" This is a topic i have to research as part of my course work, does anyone out there on the net have any viewpoints/opinions/beliefs in this topic ? if so, i would really appreciate it if they would let me know either by e-mail or through further discussion of this topic on the net (in the near future, i'm really pushed for time!). thanks in advance. Raza Hussain janet : raza@uk.ac.hw.cs computer science, arpanet : raza@cs.hw.ac.uk heriot watt uni., Edinburgh uucp : ..ukc!cs.hw.ac.uk!raza
josh@klaatu.rutgers.edu (J Storrs Hall) (01/17/90)
>"ultra intelligent machines when they evolve, will keep us on as pets!"
a) read Mind Children by Hans Moravec
b) ultra-intelligent machines will probably begin as being faster
copies of ourselves, and grow from there. They would probably
regard a "natural" human as we would an uneducated child--i.e.
as a "person" but one who needed a lot of help and who was not
fully responsible.
--JoSHjs7a+@andrew.cmu.edu (James Price Salsman) (01/17/90)
We are all "ultra intelligent machines" and except in those places where slavery is practiced, intelligent machines do not keep each other as pets. :James
randy@ms.uky.edu (Randy Appleton) (01/17/90)
Actually, ultra-intelligence is not so amazing. I figure computers will eventually get to be that. The amazing, revolutionary part will be when they become self-motivating. THAT will change things. Randy -- _______________________________________________________________________________ "Tiger gotta hunt, bird gotta fly, man gotta sit, sit and wonder why. Tiger gotta sleep, bird gotta land, man gotta tell himself that he understand" -Bokonon [Address:Randy@ms.uky.edu]
davidvc@cosmo.sybase.com (David Van Couvering) (01/18/90)
Well, this is always something that has bugged me, because actually
it just doesn't make sense that this will happen. I know that the
way things are moving and the way technology is developing, there
should be no stopping it. But there is a level of life that will
not ever come under the control and direction of human-made machines,
and it is because of this that I feel this kind of ultra-intelligence
is doomed. Call me an idealist or whatever, but to me it's obvious
that there is nothing that can keep the human spirit tied down.
There may be ultra-intelligent machines, but ones that would take
over and overpower humans? For me, that could _never_ happen.
Call it a matter of faith.
Just presenting another opinion... We're all so ready to be
surpassed by machines. Doesn't this reflect an incredibly
shallow view of what we think we are?
Thanks,
David
davidvc@sybase.com
{pacbell, lll-tis, pyramid, sun}!sybase!davidvcpeter@ficc.uu.net (Peter da Silva) (01/19/90)
> There may be ultra-intelligent machines, but ones that would take > over and overpower humans? For me, that could _never_ happen. > Call it a matter of faith. Consider the scenario where we develop expert systems and the like, to the point where more and more of the personaility of the "programmer" becomes incorporated in the rule system. Or think of people using silicon implants to enhance their protein brains. There will be entities we think of as ultra-intelligent machines. They will think of themselves as humans. Normal un-enhanced humans will not be pets. They will be children. -- _--_|\ Peter da Silva. +1 713 274 5180. <peter@ficc.uu.net>. / \ \_.--._/ Xenix Support -- it's not just a job, it's an adventure! v "Have you hugged your wolf today?" `-_-'
grx1042@uoft02.utoledo.edu (Steve Snodgrass) (02/05/90)
In article <733@odin.cs.hw.ac.uk>, raza@cs.hw.ac.uk (Z. Raza Hussain) writes: > "ultra intelligent machines when they evolve, will keep us on as pets!" This has always been an interesting topic. It is possible that intelligent machines are the next step up on the evolutionary ladder, although they were created instead of evolving. This can be considered a kind of "indirect" evolution. Computers do have enormous advantages over humankind - flawless storage/recall of vast amounts of information, ability to instantly take in and remember new information from other computers or the environment. This would also be a radical departure from classical evolution in that they would essentially have control over their own evolution, being able to modify themselves at any time, although humans may accomplish something of this sort with genetic engineering, it still wouldn't have the speed or flexibility of electronic modification. As far as whether or not they would "keep us as pets," this sounds like an unlikely scenario. It seems to me that humans would, eventually, perhaps after an initial exchange of information, be ignored as insignificant, or perhaps destroyed because of their dangerous tendency toward self-destruction. Of course, then we can ask ourselves if these machines would have any kind of "reverence" for their creators? There are some interesting works of science fiction on the topic, a few you might try: James P. Hogan - "The Two Faces of Tomorrow", "Code of the Lifemaker" Gregory Benford - a 4 book series - "In the Ocean of Night", "Across the Sea of Suns","Great Sky River","Tides of Light" Jack L. Chalker - Flux & Anchor series, mostly book 4 for this topic I'm sure there are other interesting works as well. -Steve "2C | !2C == the_question" -me
rick@hanauma.stanford.edu (Richard Ottolini) (02/05/90)
In article <504.25cc31b6@uoft02.utoledo.edu> grx1042@uoft02.utoledo.edu (Steve Snodgrass) writes: > There are some interesting works of science >fiction on the topic, a few you might try: a Arthur C Clarke: 2001: Space Odyessy
jeffd@ficc.uu.net (jeff daiell) (02/05/90)
In article <504.25cc31b6@uoft02.utoledo.edu>, grx1042@uoft02.utoledo.edu (Steve Snodgrass) writes: > There are some interesting works of science > fiction on the topic, a few you might try: > > James P. Hogan - "The Two Faces of Tomorrow", "Code of the Lifemaker" > Gregory Benford - a 4 book series - "In the Ocean of Night", "Across the > Sea of Suns","Great Sky River","Tides of Light" > Jack L. Chalker - Flux & Anchor series, mostly book 4 for this topic > > I'm sure there are other interesting works as well. Indeed! Like "RUR", the play that first applied the word robot to machines. And Asimov's robot stories. And THE MOON IS A HARSH MISTRESS and THE CAT WHO WALKED THROUGH WALLS (in that order). And 2001. Jeff Daiell -- "She sounded like a very nice woman, but, of course, that's no reason for getting married." -- C. E. "Billie" Daiell