I figure that would be slow, ineffectual and probably more dangerous than other paths in the unlikely case that it was successful.
you think that there's something more dangerous than the human race, who can't quite decide whether global warming should be mitigated against, trying to build an AI, where you have to get the answer pretty close to perfect first time, whilst also preventing all other groups from rushing to beat you and building uFAI?
A friend of mine is about to launch himself heavily into the realm of AI programming. The details of his approach aren't important; probabilities dictate that he is unlikely to score a major success. He's asked me for advice, however, on how to design a safe(r) AI. I've been pointing him in the right directions and sending him links to useful posts on this blog and the SIAI.
Do people here have any recommendations they'd like me to pass on? Hopefully, these may form the basis of a condensed 'warning pack' for other AI makers.
Addendum: Advice along the lines of "don't do it" is vital and good, but unlikely to be followed. Coding will nearly certainly happen; is there any way of making it less genocidally risky?