James_Miller comments on Q&A with new Executive Director of Singularity Institute - Less Wrong

26 Post author: lukeprog 07 November 2011 04:58AM

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Comment author: James_Miller 07 November 2011 03:21:35PM *  40 points [-]

There are essentially no academics who believe that high-quality research is happening at the Singularity Institute.

I believe that high-quality research is happening at the Singularity Institute.

James Miller, Associate Professor of Economics, Smith College.

PhD, University of Chicago.

Comment author: XFrequentist 07 November 2011 10:41:55PM 23 points [-]

To distinguish the above from the statement "I like the Singularity Institute", could you be specific about what research activities you have observed in sufficient detail to confidently describe as "high-quality"?

ETA: Not a hint of sarcasm or snark intended, I'm sincerely curious.

Comment author: James_Miller 08 November 2011 01:25:01AM *  24 points [-]

I'm currently writing a book on the Singularity and have consequently become extremely familiar with the organization's work. I have gone through most of EY's writings and have an extremely high opinion of them. His research on AI plays a big part in my book. I have also been ending my game theory classes with "rationality shorts" in which I present some of EY's material from the sequences.

I also have a high opinion of Carl Shulman's (an SI employee) writings including “How Hard is Artificial Intelligence? The Evolutionary Argument and Observation Selection Effects." (Co-authored with Bostrom) and Shulman's paper on AGI and arms races.