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Google to Buy Artificial Intelligence Startup DeepMind for $400M

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Re: Google to Buy Artificial Intelligence Startup DeepMind for $400M

#181

Post by esrauch »

KVFinn wrote: post #82
psbp wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't really understand the objective of those like Kurzweil. What do they see as the benefit of the singularity? Wouldn't a drastically more advanced intelligence just dwarf and dissolve any lesser intelligence that tried to meld with it? It would be complete ego death.

>Wouldn't a drastically more advanced intelligence just dwarf and dissolve any lesser intelligence that tried to meld with it? It would be complete ego death. A lot of the singularity people think that superhuman AI in inevitable whether they work on it or not, but if the first AI isn't a friendly one (as opposed to a paperclip-optimizer that happily turns the planet in paperclips) then you don't get a second chance.

This objection implies there is something better than turning the planet into paperclips.

Re: Google to Buy Artificial Intelligence Startup DeepMind for $400M

#182

Post by mark_l_watson »

JulianMorrison wrote: post #41

I know Shane Legg from his work with AIXI, the mathematical model of infinite general intelligence. That's some heavy hitters.

I worked with Shane at Ben Goertzel's company Webmind about 12 years ago - a good guy.

A little off topic, but I suspect that one reason to sell themselves to Google is Google's infrastructure, both in ability to easily run very large jobs and their very nice development environment.

Re: Google to Buy Artificial Intelligence Startup DeepMind for $400M

#183

Post by _random_ »

donniezazen wrote: post #116

How do you know if you are talented enough to pursue an intricate field like Artificial Intelligence? Or is it merely a lot of hard work?

Pick a camp: symbolic or sub-symbolic. If latter then do a neuroscience degree along with a computer science degree. Get an insight while experimenting with biological brain. Make a start-up that capitalizes on your new idea.

Re: Google to Buy Artificial Intelligence Startup DeepMind for $400M

#186

Post by cgore »

twobits wrote: post #180
cgore wrote: post #177

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The universe still dies, so you still die. A trillion years is still quite finite and small.

"Small" compared to what?

Infinity. 80-ish years might not seem like much to you, but to an insect that only lives a few days it might as well be a trillion years. The point I'm trying to make is that living a really long time is not living forever, and even if your death date is the same as the universe however many trillions of years out from now, your still going to die eventually, and still going to worry about it.

Re: Google to Buy Artificial Intelligence Startup DeepMind for $400M

#187

Post by TeMPOraL »

cgore wrote: post #186
twobits wrote: post #180

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Small" compared to what?

Infinity. 80-ish years might not seem like much to you, but to an insect that only lives a few days it might as well be a trillion years. The point I'm trying to make is that living a really long time is not living forever, and even if your death date is the same as the universe however many trillions of years out from now, your still going to die eventually, and still going to worry about it.

Well, I'd love to worry about it for all the billion additional years. Maybe we'll even figure a way around the problem in this time? Our understanding of laws of physics is far from complete.

Re: Google to Buy Artificial Intelligence Startup DeepMind for $400M

#188

Post by baddox »

cgore wrote: post #186
twobits wrote: post #180

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Small" compared to what?

Infinity. 80-ish years might not seem like much to you, but to an insect that only lives a few days it might as well be a trillion years. The point I'm trying to make is that living a really long time is not living forever, and even if your death date is the same as the universe however many trillions of years out from now, your still going to die eventually, and still going to worry about it.

None of that disputes the fact that longer is still better (obviously with all else, like quality of life, being equal).

Re: Google to Buy Artificial Intelligence Startup DeepMind for $400M

#189

Post by baddox »

psbp wrote: post #44
fchollet wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It seems that Google has now gone full Singularist. They jumped the shark when they hired Kurzweil.

I don't really understand the objective of those like Kurzweil. What do they see as the benefit of the singularity? Wouldn't a drastically more advanced intelligence just dwarf and dissolve any lesser intelligence that tried to meld with it? It would be complete ego death.

Is ego death such a bad thing? I have heard accounts from people who claim to have experienced it and enjoyed it.

Re: Google to Buy Artificial Intelligence Startup DeepMind for $400M

#190

Post by baddox »

eli_gottlieb wrote: post #99
sanxiyn wrote: post #81

FYI, Shane Legg's theses was "Machine Super Intelligence". http://www.vetta.org/publications/

I'm really wondering where you have to go to grad-school for someone to approve a thesis that blatantly speculative.

Did you read the paper? I skimmed it, and wouldn't describe it as "blatantly speculative." There are certainly predictions based on facts (or at least, claims which are believed to be facts, but I repeat myself), but I don't think those are out of place in a thesis.
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