I'm confused about what the goal of "AI" is anymore. Does anyone else feel similar?
Researches seem fixated to create something like "a really smart person or intellectual slave", LLMs make it seem like we're close to that I guess?
Is there not a whole lot more usefulness in solving actual problems with "AI" without the potential risks and baggage of creating, I don't know, is it super capable idiot savant?
The approach deep mind was taking before entering this sort of "talking computer" arms race seemed actually quite useful and less "disruptive". Things like AlphaFold are more inline with what I was hoping to see going forwards. Now I just don't really know what the the plan is?
Is it to one day be able to sit at your computer and say things like: "I want you to solve cancer" and "replace my secretary, she's too expensive", "build as many paper clips as possible but don't hurt anyone?", and expect that it will kind of do it? Do we expect that everyone will freely have access to these systems or just a few people? Is this sustainable and practical long term?
In one interview I saw, Ilya Sutskever has claimed every town, state and country will have sort of AI representative, and in another basically stating we might not have to work and become "enlightened beings". Why on earth do we need an AGI to become "enlightened beings", has this gentlemen never read any literature on "enlightenment"?
I'm really struggling to see how the type of world some of these researchers seem to be gunning for is actually ideal or even wise even if achievable, especially given the mounting levels of anxiety around LLMs and their implications. Are the ethics ever actually considered?
It seems like "building AGI" is kind of like, building a something (loosely defined) which could have a lot of negative unintended side effects, but for what now? Just intellectual curiosity ? Fulfilling a Sci-Fi fetish?
Personally, I think this is what has spooked Geoff Hinton, he has seen an acceleration toward something, but he realizes we have zero idea what to do when or if when we build the "something". He now realizes the military or bad actors will take advantage of these AGI(?) and he might be alive to have to see the consequences of that.
>Why on earth do we need an AGI to become "enlightened beings", has this gentlemen never read any literature on "enlightenment"?
I think you might be misconstruing his definition of 'enlightenment'. In this instance I believe he is referring to humanity having the time and freedom for the pursuit of knowledge and intellectual reasoning. There are a number of instances in fictional literature were the authors discuss worlds in which civilization has achieved a state of enlightenment and dedicate their lives exclusively to science, philosophy and the arts (Olaf Stapleton's First and Last Men, and Starmaker provide several)
>but for what now? Just intellectual curiosity ?
The purpose is out of exercise to understand it. But again, if we might produce an AGI which is capable of digesting massive amounts of knowledge, but with the ability to reason we might be able to achieve certain goals like fusion energy sooner than expected. IMO solving the energy problem in itself is worth the risk as our uncontrolled use of fossil fuels is an existential threat to life on this planet, not to mention it would rebalance the distribution on wealth and power around the world.
As for Hinton, I think you are spot on with why he reacted this way. However, I facepalm every time the 'killer robots' example comes up because it is the worst example of the threats these things pose compared the following:
- AI being used to manipulate public opinion on a massive scale creating a new age of demagoguery.
- AI being used to fabricate different realities within an information sphere by generating text, imagery and audio/video media supporting a certain set of narratives. Essentially a type of super propaganda.
- AI being granted trust to by humans to perform certain functions which it is not capable of, because humans are too ignorant to subject it to proper scrutiny.
- AI being used to manipulate either markets, financial institutions or economies at a massive scale, dramatically shifting the balance of power around the world.
Essentially, the general public's concept of warfare needs to be broadened to consider non-kinetic conflict. Warfare is effectively a pursuit in the change of policy in other nations(or groups) by many different means. The last resort of these methods is inevitably a kinetic engagement, where all other approaches have failed to achieve the desired result.
Altering this viewpoint allows us to reassess what we consider to be weapons rather than tools, and gives us a better idea of where we should expect these threats to emerge first.
Researches seem fixated to create something like "a really smart person or intellectual slave", LLMs make it seem like we're close to that I guess?
Is there not a whole lot more usefulness in solving actual problems with "AI" without the potential risks and baggage of creating, I don't know, is it super capable idiot savant?
The approach deep mind was taking before entering this sort of "talking computer" arms race seemed actually quite useful and less "disruptive". Things like AlphaFold are more inline with what I was hoping to see going forwards. Now I just don't really know what the the plan is?
Is it to one day be able to sit at your computer and say things like: "I want you to solve cancer" and "replace my secretary, she's too expensive", "build as many paper clips as possible but don't hurt anyone?", and expect that it will kind of do it? Do we expect that everyone will freely have access to these systems or just a few people? Is this sustainable and practical long term?
In one interview I saw, Ilya Sutskever has claimed every town, state and country will have sort of AI representative, and in another basically stating we might not have to work and become "enlightened beings". Why on earth do we need an AGI to become "enlightened beings", has this gentlemen never read any literature on "enlightenment"?
I'm really struggling to see how the type of world some of these researchers seem to be gunning for is actually ideal or even wise even if achievable, especially given the mounting levels of anxiety around LLMs and their implications. Are the ethics ever actually considered?
It seems like "building AGI" is kind of like, building a something (loosely defined) which could have a lot of negative unintended side effects, but for what now? Just intellectual curiosity ? Fulfilling a Sci-Fi fetish?
Personally, I think this is what has spooked Geoff Hinton, he has seen an acceleration toward something, but he realizes we have zero idea what to do when or if when we build the "something". He now realizes the military or bad actors will take advantage of these AGI(?) and he might be alive to have to see the consequences of that.