Ben,
The question which I would ask, were I a potential funder How soon can I
see something that, though not true AGI, makes me say 'Wow, I've never seen
anything like that before.' ?
I appreciate that this is an incredibly challenging project, and that in
some cases investors will accept a ten-year horizon, but as a software
professional I'd say that a working intermediate system, showing real core
functionality, is critical to keeping a project focused and on track.
You mention intermediate steps to AI, but the question is whether these
are narrow-AI applications (the bane of AGI projects) or some sort of
(incomplete) AGI.
Yours,
Joshua
2006/12/11, Ben Goertzel [EMAIL PROTECTED]:
Hi Joshua,
Thanks for the comments
Indeed, the creation of a thinking machine is not a typical VC type
project. I know a few VC's personally and am well aware of their way
of thinking and the way thir businesses operate. There is a lot of
technology risk in the creation of an AGI, as compared to the sorts
of projects that VC's are typical interested in funding today. There
is just no getting around this fact. From a typical VC perspective,
building a thinking machine is a project with too much risk and too
much schedule uncertainty in spite of the obviously huge payoff upon
success.
Of course, it's always possible a rule-breaking VC could come along
with an interest in AGI. VC's have funded nanotech projects with a
10+ year timescale to product, for example.
Currently our fundraising focus is on:
a) transhumanist angel investors interested in funding the creation of
true AGI
b) seeking VC money with a view toward funding the rapid construction
and monetization of software products that are
-- based on components of our AGI codebase
-- incremental steps toward AGI.
With regard to b, we are currently working with a business consultant
to formulate a professional investor toolkit to present to
interested VC's.
Unfortunately, US government grant funding for out-of-the-mainstream
AGI projects is very hard to come by these days. OTOH, the Chinese
government has expressed some interest in Novamente, but that funding
source has some serious issues involved with it, needless to say...
-- Ben G
On 12/11/06, Joshua Fox [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
Ben,
I saw the video. It's wonderful to see this direct aim at the goal of
the
positive Singularity.
If I could comment from the perspective of the software industry, though
without expertise in the problem space, I'd say that there are some
phrases
in there which would make me, were I a VC, suspicious. (Of course VC's
aren't the direct audience, but ultimately someone has to provide the
funding you allude to.)
When a visionary says that he requires more funding and ten years, this
often indicates an unfocused project that will never get on-track. In
software projects it is essential to aim for real results, including a
beta
within a year and multiple added-value-providing versions within
approximately 3 years. I think that this is not just investor impatience
--
experience shows that software projects planned for a much longer
schedule
tend to get off-focus.
I know that you already realize this, and that you do have the focus;
you
mention your plans, which I assume include meaningful intermediate
achievements in this incredibly challenging and extraordinary task, but
this
the impression which comes across in the talk.
Yours,
Joshua
2006/12/11, Ben Goertzel [EMAIL PROTECTED]:
Hi,
For anyone who is curious about the talk Ten Years to the Singularity
(if we Really Really Try) that I gave at Transvision 2006 last
summer, I have finally gotten around to putting the text of the speech
online:
http://www.goertzel.org/papers/tenyears.htm
The video presentation has been online for a while
video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1615014803486086198
(alas, the talking is a bit slow in that one, but that's because the
audience was in Finland and mostly spoke English as a second
language.) But the text may be preferable to those who, like me, hate
watching long videos of people blabbering ;-)
Questions, comments, arguments and insults (preferably clever ones)
welcome...
-- Ben
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