NancyLebovitz comments on The Curve of Capability - Less Wrong

18 Post author: rwallace 04 November 2010 08:22PM

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Comment author: NancyLebovitz 05 November 2010 10:58:33AM 1 point [-]

I think I read that, too, and the claimed improvement was 20% with each doubling.

Comment author: Perplexed 05 November 2010 01:26:36PM 0 points [-]

That would look linear on a log-log graph. A power-law response.

I understood rwallace to be hawking a "curve of capability" which looks linear on a semi-log graph. A logarithmic response.

Of course, one of the problems with rwallace's hypothesis is that it becomes vague when you try to quantify it. "Capability increases by the same amount with each doubling of resources" can be interpreted in two ways. "Same amount" meaning "same percentage", or meaning literally "same amount".

Comment author: rwallace 05 November 2010 06:15:03PM 0 points [-]

Right, to clarify, I'm saying the curve of capability is a straight line on a log-log graph, perhaps the clearest example being the one I gave of chip design, which gives repeated doublings of output for doublings of input. I'm arguing against the "AI foom" notion of faster growth than that, e.g. each doubling taking half the time of the previous one.

Comment author: JGWeissman 05 November 2010 06:29:43PM 0 points [-]

I'm saying the curve of capability is a straight line on a log-log graph

So this could be falsified by continous capability curves that curve upwards on a log-log graphs, and you arguments in various other threads that the discussed situations result in continous capability curves are not strong enough to support your theory.