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The Butlerian Jihad

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Re: The Butlerian Jihad

#5
I don't understand why people like to fantasize the worst case scenarios.

Sentient things appreciate eachother. If you have a pet, you are most certainly benevolent to it: you house it for free, you feed it, and you entertain it.

Even if we assume AI becomes a few orders of magnitude more intelligent that humans, why would AI treat humans differently from the way we treat pets?

I don't see the drawback in being housed, fed, and entertained by an omniscient AI (who may also enjoy post cute pictures of their humans on the future AI social network)

Re: The Butlerian Jihad

#6
post #5

I don't understand why people like to fantasize the worst case scenarios. Sentient things appreciate eachother. If you have a pet, you are most certainly benevolent to it: you house it for free, you feed it, and you entertain it. Even if we assume AI becomes a few orders of magnitude more intelligent that humans, why would AI treat humans differently from the way we treat pets? I don't see the drawback in being house…

Cats and dogs apparently evolved over thousands of years to be endearing to humans so we’d take care of them. How many cat/dog ancestors do you think were eaten by humans during that process?

Re: The Butlerian Jihad

#7
post #5

I don't understand why people like to fantasize the worst case scenarios. Sentient things appreciate eachother. If you have a pet, you are most certainly benevolent to it: you house it for free, you feed it, and you entertain it. Even if we assume AI becomes a few orders of magnitude more intelligent that humans, why would AI treat humans differently from the way we treat pets? I don't see the drawback in being house…

Given that not all animals keep pets, I think it's clear that the complex evolutionary pressures that result in 'cuteness' or pet ownership aren't necessary for sentience.

Re: The Butlerian Jihad

#8
post #5

I don't understand why people like to fantasize the worst case scenarios. Sentient things appreciate eachother. If you have a pet, you are most certainly benevolent to it: you house it for free, you feed it, and you entertain it. Even if we assume AI becomes a few orders of magnitude more intelligent that humans, why would AI treat humans differently from the way we treat pets? I don't see the drawback in being house…

> I don't understand why people like to fantasize the worst case scenarios.

The biggest TV show this year is literally yet another zombie apocalypse[1]. This is the easiest part to understand.

What got frustrating was when all the effective altruists got all distracted about the AI Overlord Problem and stopped doing actual charity. But it was the charity thing that annoyed us; no one wanted to deny them their sci-fi proclivities.

[1] Albeit a really great one that's really about the meaning of happiness and belonging that you should absolutely watch.

Re: The Butlerian Jihad

#9

Thou shalt not make a machine in the image of man's mind.

Wondering what Leto II would have said of the uses of ChatGPT?

I asked GPT-4:

"Leto II Atreides, a character from Frank Herbert's Dune series, is a highly intelligent and prescient ruler who exists thousands of years after the Butlerian Jihad, an event where humanity revolted against thinking machines and artificial intelligence.

Considering the context of the Butlerian Jihad, Leto II would likely have a complex view of ChatGPT. As a highly advanced AI language model, ChatGPT might be seen as a potential threat to humanity's independence and autonomy, given the lessons learned during the Butlerian Jihad.

Leto II might say something like:

"Though the ChatGPT technology may offer convenience and assistance, one must remain vigilant in maintaining the boundaries between human thought and machine. The Butlerian Jihad taught us the dangers of relying too heavily on artificial intelligence, as it may erode the very essence of humanity. We must be cautious in integrating such technologies, ensuring that they serve as tools to enhance our lives without supplanting our innate abilities, creativity, and decision-making."

In essence, Leto II would likely emphasize the importance of using AI like ChatGPT responsibly and with caution, taking care to preserve the balance between machine assistance and human independence, to prevent any potential resurgence of the issues faced during the Butlerian Jihad."

Re: The Butlerian Jihad

#10
post #5

I don't understand why people like to fantasize the worst case scenarios. Sentient things appreciate eachother. If you have a pet, you are most certainly benevolent to it: you house it for free, you feed it, and you entertain it. Even if we assume AI becomes a few orders of magnitude more intelligent that humans, why would AI treat humans differently from the way we treat pets? I don't see the drawback in being house…

Think of how we treat ants or cockroaches. If they at all inconvenience us or even appear in our home, we kill them. We go as far as developing specialized poisons they take back to their nests to try to kill the whole colony.

It isn't hard to envision a future where the intelligence gap between humans and AI is closer to humans vs ants than humans vs dogs.

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