AI could be our worst mistake

[Ruptga]

AI in Dune?

You might not know it from seeing the movie, but AI plays very heavily into the back story of the Dune universe and it is in the books. Basically, a few thousand years before the events of Dune, humanity overthrows a race of AI slavemasters and outlaws all strong AI development. That's why they have Mentats and their special brain juice instead of computers.

The author actually put all of that in because he wanted his scifi stories to revolve around people, not advanced technology, so he had to give a reason why humanity was locked into a kind of medieval age with spaceships but no Star Trek technology.

 

[norseamd]

It's a common misconception that life (natural or not) can grow exponentially indefinitely. Most processes cannot sustain exponential growth for long.

tell that to businessmen

seems they never become aware of that fact

 

[norseamd]

Coming from Hawking it's a bit amusing really.

why?

seems like him

he has enough intelligence to know that it is a potential future problem just like hostile extraterristial life

seems too many humans on this earth have no wisdom of any significance or worth

 

[biostud]

I wonder what the answer would be if they asked IBM Watson, what the greatest threat to human existence is. And what should be done to prevent it.

 

[Ruptga]

I wonder what the answer would be if they asked IBM Watson, what the greatest threat to human existence is. And what should be done to prevent it.

"I'll take automatic points for a thousand."

 

[MongGrel]

why?

seems like him

he has enough intelligence to know that it is a potential future problem just like hostile extraterristial life

seems too many humans on this earth have no wisdom of any significance or worth

The whole vocal thing, was teasing a bit in relation to the story I posted.

 

[MongGrel]

AI in Dune?

Yeah, kinda wondered about that one myself

 

[videogames101]

hawking should stick to physics lmao

 

[IronWing]

As long as we fail to perfect battery technology we'll be fine.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

Yeah, kinda wondered about that one myself

Dune and WH40k have a lot of backstory in common, seem like.

 

[MongGrel]

Dune and WH40k have a lot of backstory in common, seem like.

News to me.

 

[dave_the_nerd]

News to me.

Well, re: Men Of Iron (WH40k) vs. Thinking Machines in Dune.

In both cases, machines turned on their masters and, after a costly civil war with humanity winning, AI development was declared heretical. (Not just illegal, like genetic engineering in star trek, but heretical.)

At least in the first Dune novel, the Emperor is kind of a weird, otherworldly, barely references figure who pits his agents against each other for unfathomable reasons. Although Leto II Living for 3500 years and being referred to as a "God Emperor" doesn't hurt either.

Starships in both universes rely on psychically gifted ("prescient" in Dune) "Navigator" mutants to not crash into things.

Spice does in Dune what genetic engineering does in WH40k.

Despite having ridiculous numbers of lasers and shit, both settings have an unhealthy fascination with bladed weapons.

I could go on. But somebody was clearly inspired by somebody else.

 

[MongGrel]

Spice was Biologically produced.

You've still lost me but I'll leave it at that.

 

[IronWing]

Spice was Biologically produced.

You've still lost me but I'll leave it at that.

The Butlerian Jihad was a violent uprising against "thinking machines". It is never stated that AI was the issue but just computers in general.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butlerian_Jihad

 

[HeXen]

He also says we shouldn't be looking for aliens. Look, Stephen Hawkens might be smart and all that with math and theoretical physics, but he obviously watches way too much TV.

 

[Ruptga]

The Butlerian Jihad was a violent uprising against "thinking machines". It is never stated that AI was the issue but just computers in general.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Butlerian_Jihad

Yes, and from your link...

The Butlerian Jihad is an event in the back-story of Frank Herbert's fictional Dune universe. Occurring over 10,000 years before the events chronicled in his 1965 novel Dune, this jihad leads to the outlawing of certain technologies, primarily "thinking machines", a collective term for computers and artificial intelligence of any kind. This prohibition is a key influence on the nature of Herbert's fictional setting.

We should have a meetup where we all do drunk history for nerds. We will discuss things such as the Kwitsach Haderach, the Dwemer, Salarian politics, Balefire, and there will be a three drink minimum.

 

[norseamd]

He also says we shouldn't be looking for aliens. Look, Stephen Hawkens might be smart and all that with math and theoretical physics, but he obviously watches way too much TV.

well maybe we should and maybe we should not look for anything

on one hand knowing if there is anything out there could be a great asset especially if they start to come this way but on the other hand we can not really trust ourselves to be logical if we do discover anything

 

[HeXen]

well maybe we should and maybe we should not look for anything

on one hand knowing if there is anything out there could be a great asset especially if they start to come this way but on the other hand we can not really trust ourselves to be logical if we do discover anything

Do you really think our greedy, selfish, defensive, war mongering asses can be trusted by aliens? We are the fear. We would take any advantage possible, even if it means their demise. Hell we kill based on ignorance and fear alone. We would steal their technology at any means imaginable and even use it against them if they so much as flinch.

There is nothing on earth that can't be had elsewhere, there are too many planets and asteroids with far more precious metals..etc than ours.

 

[Maximilian]

You might not know it from seeing the movie, but AI plays very heavily into the back story of the Dune universe and it is in the books. Basically, a few thousand years before the events of Dune, humanity overthrows a race of AI slavemasters and outlaws all strong AI development. That's why they have Mentats and their special brain juice instead of computers.

The author actually put all of that in because he wanted his scifi stories to revolve around people, not advanced technology, so he had to give a reason why humanity was locked into a kind of medieval age with spaceships but no Star Trek technology.

I remember watching that movie then going to google afterwards for a bit of "wtf did i just watch" kind of search. That whole backstory seemed more interesting than what happened in the movie.

 

[Ruptga]

I remember watching that movie then going to google afterwards for a bit of "wtf did i just watch" kind of search. That whole backstory seemed more interesting than what happened in the movie.

Same here, on both points.

 

[Jeff7]

He also says we shouldn't be looking for aliens. Look, Stephen Hawkens might be smart and all that with math and theoretical physics, but he obviously watches way too much TV.

What comes to mind in our constant broadcasting of our presence is a mouse running across an open field while wearing a neon orange vest, having never seen nor heard of birds of prey.

Visiting other star systems and pestering other life forms there is a very expensive, resource-intensive, inefficient thing to do.
For us.
Right now.


But we're also a species that went to the trouble of using general and special relativity to allow us to build and launch bunch of high-precision atomic clocks into high Earth orbit in order to more easily answer the question of "Where am I right now?"
Or when the layman can use a product of thousands of years of slow progress in chemical and ballistics experimentation to destroy a hornet nest.

 

[disappoint]

What comes to mind in our constant broadcasting of our presence is a mouse running across an open field while wearing a neon orange vest, having never seen nor heard of birds of prey.

lol That's a really...reeeallly big field though. And it's expanding. And the expansion is accelerating...

 

[andylawcc]

Coming from Hawking it's a bit amusing really.

Puts me in mind of the old Harlan story on the same lines.

I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Have_No_Mouth,_and_I_Must_Scream

that's some sick shit right there

 

[darkewaffle]

AI isn't the mistake, AI is the answer.

 

[poofyhairguy]

I read this and my only response thought was why Hawking's felt the need to publish this editorial.
I mean... it is nothing new. Seems like every scifi story ever has already touched on this.

I think that is the issue. He thinks it should he a serious issue with solid policy and not just a sci-fi plot.