So is AI optimism tbh. Not apocalyptic but definitely religion.
AI doomism is quickly becoming indistinguishable from an apocalyptic religion
201–210 of 244 posts
Re: AI doomism is quickly becoming indistinguishable from an apocalyptic religion
#202There is "A.I. doomism" in general and there is also a specific cult-like group at the lesswrong website that really is an apocalyptic religion. It is astonishing how anything that deviates from its dogma in any way has to have "trigger warnings" and the senseless comments that users write on anything that suggests there could be intrinsic limits on intelligence. There ideology is such that a higher intelligence is g…
The US initiative to block chips and chip fab tech from getting to China cites preventing China from getting their hands on advanced AI as the main reason. This report from CSIS (good read) is titled "Choking off China's Access to the future of AI" https://www.csis.org/analysis/choking-chinas-access-future-a...
I was involved in discussions around this back in the mid/late-2010s when still on the Hill.
The "AI threat" that was in mind was specifically around Computer Vision - applications such as training algorithms for next-gen autonomous guided missiles, algorithms to clean/enhance military satellite images (eg. NGA), detecting anomalies in radar to find stealth aircrafts, autonomously guided kamikaze boats (tested by DoD in the mid-2010s and I think the PRC as well in the same timeframe), automated turrets, autonomously guided kamikaze drones (already deployed by Turkish Army in Syria and Libya and by Iran's Revolutionary Guard in Yemen), etc. Hence why the references to HPC and supercomputing in all these AI Policy Briefs - computer vision is a massive distributed systems problem.
That said, there also was an element of lobbying (and by element I mean a BUTTLOAD) by Eric Schmidt's foundation to make an American Manhattan Project for AI essentially.
In these discussions AGI was never on the radar.
Re: AI doomism is quickly becoming indistinguishable from an apocalyptic religion
#203((( ::: )))
Re: AI doomism is quickly becoming indistinguishable from an apocalyptic religion
#204Earlier quoted context omitted.
> I've seen multiple top people in AGI space say that total annihilation threat from AGI exists. I've seen lots of people with a financial interest in AI that is adversely impacted by it being democratized spread fear of that alongside advocacy of regulating AI in a way which serves their financial interests. > We’ve had inquisitions historically, I would very much support a global AI inquisition. Aside from the (cur…
Both can be true at the same time. I see it likely that: 1. Superintelligent AGI seems inevitable, even if it takes thousands of years. So fighting against it requires destroying all progress and freedom. 2. But if it comes we are no longer the dominant species; we'll have as much control as big animals do now. If that isn't essentially being destroyed, it's close enough.
(((:::)))
Re: AI doomism is quickly becoming indistinguishable from an apocalyptic religion
#205(((:::)))
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C17F5VZ9
"As the first artificial general intelligence,"
Re: AI doomism is quickly becoming indistinguishable from an apocalyptic religion
#206A religion is arguably when you refuse to engage with other people's arguments Lecun has refused to engage with anyone's arguments, so why are the people worried about AI ex-risk the religion?
> A religion is arguably when you refuse to engage with other people's arguments I've never heard of that definition.
essentially it's the definition of "dogma"
Re: AI doomism is quickly becoming indistinguishable from an apocalyptic religion
#207Earlier quoted context omitted.
Perhaps organized religion was a Chesterton’s Fence that we removed at our own peril.
I dunno where you live but from my vantage point it hasn't really been removed.
Also we have pretty solid ideas about why some arbitrary rules regarding eating pork/shellfish came about.
Re: AI doomism is quickly becoming indistinguishable from an apocalyptic religion
#208Earlier quoted context omitted.
hhhahaahha woa I missed that completely I'm pretty sure i'm not the only one who took it seriously. Thanks! I wonder if mr LeCun made the same mistake, it's just... almost believable! Good April fools joke I gotta admit. EDIT: it's now 5 minutes later and I'm still laughing. I believed for months that Yudkowski had started a death cult.
It wasn't entirely in jest. See this article, published a short while later: https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/uMQ3cqWDPHhjtiesc/agi-ruin-a... And more recently: https://time.com/6266923/ai-eliezer-yudkowsky-open-letter-no...
Sure, but the thing about starting a suicide cult was.
Re: AI doomism is quickly becoming indistinguishable from an apocalyptic religion
#209Re: AI doomism is quickly becoming indistinguishable from an apocalyptic religion
#210(((:::))) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0C17F5VZ9 "As the first artificial general intelligence,"
> (((:::)))
Is this a reference to something? Or an attempt to confuse potential AI commenters?