Ben,
Thanks for reply. I think though that Samantha may be more representative -
i.e. most here simply aren't interested in non-computer alternatives. Which
is fine.
I joined mainly to learn - about future possibilities generally. It's not
an area I've thought about much, other than in relation to the future of
human society.
I can't recall, though, a single superAGI discussion that struck me as other
than pure fantasy, or gave me anything to conjure with - whereas your brief
discussion of pathogens immediately gives me something to think about. (I
guess the immediate response to your spectre is that if they can produce
more deadly pathogens, they will be able to engineer some form of
bio-resistance - which evokes the prospect of articial life arms races -
although you might get a nuclear-comparable situation, where every state
would be too scared to use them, for fear of being counter-attacked).
I certainly would like to see discussion of how species generally may be
artificially altered, (including how brains and therefore intelligence may
be altered) - and I'm disappointed, more particularly, that Natasha and any
other transhumanists haven't put forward some half-way reasonable
possibilities here. But perhaps Samantha & others would regard such matters
as offlimits?
It's a pity though because I do think that Venter has changed everything
today - including the paradigms that govern both science and AI.
Ben: Hi,
Why does discussion never (unless I've missed something - in which case
apologies) focus on the more realistic future "threats"/possibilities -
future artificial species as opposed to future computer simulations?
While I don't agree that AGI is less realistic than artificial
biological species,
I agree the latter are also interesting.
What do you have to say about them, though? ;-)
One thing that seems clear to me is that engineering artificial pathogens
is an easier problem than engineering artificial antibodies.
The reason biowarfare has failed so far is mostly a lack of good delivery
mechanisms: there are loads of pathogens that will kill people, but no one
has yet figured out how to deliver them effectively ... they die in the
sun,
disperse in the wind, drown in the water, whatever....
If advanced genetic engineering solves these problems, then what happens?
Are we totally screwed?
Or will we be protected by the same sociopsychological dynamics that have
kept DC from being nuked so far: the intersection of folks with a
terrorist
mindset and folks with scientific chops is surprisingly teeny...
Thoughts?
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