Artificial Super Intelligence - are we ready for it?

[broncofan]

There would probably have to be systems in place so that a human could take control from a computer that is not functioning properly? How do we ensure the safety of that, if we can't ever trust people? What about hackers? Until a computer reaches a threshold of consciousness and refined learning ability, isn't there always someone who could tinker with the program or the operation of it?

When it reaches a state of consciousness and does not need further programming, why would it then be immune to the bad decisions of other conscious, autonomous beings?

I would trust a computer to fly, but I would't mind there being a trustworthy human backup.

[Stavros]

I'm not a good one to be asked this question as my father worked within the airline industry. As a result, I would say yes. Way back when, I had a time or two within the cockpits of commercial airliners and watched as the pilot would engage the autopilot of aircraft of the late 60's.

I am not an aeronautical engineer, but I can only imagine the improvements in this technology in the intervening 45+ years. With the dramatic decrease of airline accidents since that time, it's hard to argue that autopilot technologies didn't play a role in the increase in flight safety.

And now, after this most recent accident, people are going to seriously ponder whether a computer should be able to take control away from a human. By the way, I liked your question in an earlier post about whether a computer might have figured out the best course of action in a 2009 crash had it been given a chance.

One other curiosity about the Air France disaster was the design of the cockpit which meant that the pilot seated behind the two co-pilots (he had gone for a sleep barely an hour into the flight) could not see that the co-pilot in control of the plane had his right hand on the control stick which in other cockpits is in the middle and thus visible to other members of the crew, and it being pitch dark outside they had no idea what direction they were going in. Anyway I am with Broncofan on this because something can always go wrong with a computer, even if like Trish you kiss and stroke your computer every night before going to bed...just in case...

[trish]

.. Anyway I am with Broncofan on this because something can always go wrong with a computer, even if like Trish you kiss and stroke your computer every night before going to bed...just in case...

Hey! How'd you know ...? Is this camera on?

[Plaything]

There would appear to be a consensus here that ASI is, at best, a double edged sword - I can only stand back and admire the various well reasoned positions here...by people who clearly understand IT.

I can make it work. That's pretty much it.

But in my business there is, as yet, no likely replacement for flesh and blood. Not sure the algorithm exists that can interpret what an industrial fire will do next.

My real concern is not the possibility of some Asimovian 'I Robot' future, but rather that William Gibson will prove to be absolutely on the money in his book which imagines a dystopian world, 'Mona Lisa Overdrive' - where video games are delivered straight to the cortex.

And this, it would appear, is kind of on the horizon.

When we can all be anything we would like. When virtual reality is indistinguishable from what really 'is'.

Many of us will opt out of 'ordinary' completely.

More addictive than crystal meth...and marketed overtly through mainstream media.

[sukumvit boy]

Robots learn to cook by watching YouTube videos , sponsored by DARPA ! I guess the army needs more cooks?
I posted this earlier in another thread
http://cmns.umd.edu/news-events/features/2708
http://rt.com/news/219687-robot-learns-watching-video/
http://www.homecrux.com/2015/01/22/2...be-videos.html

[Odelay]

My real concern is not the possibility of some Asimovian 'I Robot' future, but rather that William Gibson will prove to be absolutely on the money in his book which imagines a dystopian world, 'Mona Lisa Overdrive' - where video games are delivered straight to the cortex.

And this, it would appear, is kind of on the horizon.

When we can all be anything we would like. When virtual reality is indistinguishable from what really 'is'.

Many of us will opt out of 'ordinary' completely.

More addictive than crystal meth...and marketed overtly through mainstream media.

Plaything, this or something similar to this - a giant opt out for large sections of society - will have to happen. The alternative would have to be some large scale genocide or eugenics to trim down a population that will largely be useless compared to what it is today. There simply won't be a sufficient # of intellectually or physically challenging jobs to support even the current 8 billion, much less what the popoulation will be in 20 or 50 years. Might as well keep the masses zoned out on VR or drugs or anything that will keep them docile.

[Odelay]

Stavros, you're sort of hinting around this but I can't tell now from your recent missive that you would prefer to have humans in the cockpit. What do you think of human override by computers if they detect human action that will soon cause the deaths of 100's of people? If such a human override were possible to write into autopilots, it would seem that not only might the germanwings accident have been avoided, but perhaps the 9/11 actions, as well.

[Plaything]

Plaything, this or something similar to this - a giant opt out for large sections of society - will have to happen. The alternative would have to be some large scale genocide or eugenics to trim down a population that will largely be useless compared to what it is today. There simply won't be a sufficient # of intellectually or physically challenging jobs to support even the current 8 billion, much less what the popoulation will be in 20 or 50 years. Might as well keep the masses zoned out on VR or drugs or anything that will keep them docile.

I guess you can't make an omelette without breaking a few eggs...

Western Economic Policies are already moving clearly and inexorably toward 'I'm all right Jack, pull the ladder up'...

Of course, this is just another commercial revolution.

Easy to look back at, for example, The age of steam as an interesting historical landmark

Here we go again.

There will be winners.

And a whole shit load of losers.

[martin48]

Following tragic crash in the French Alps (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-32113507) I may chose the robot.

There would probably have to be systems in place so that a human could take control from a computer that is not functioning properly? How do we ensure the safety of that, if we can't ever trust people? What about hackers? Until a computer reaches a threshold of consciousness and refined learning ability, isn't there always someone who could tinker with the program or the operation of it?

When it reaches a state of consciousness and does not need further programming, why would it then be immune to the bad decisions of other conscious, autonomous beings?

I would trust a computer to fly, but I would't mind there being a trustworthy human backup.

[Plaything]

Following tragic crash in the French Alps (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-32113507) I may chose the robot.

Trains are nice...