I think they are kind of keen on the idea of not dying too.
Imagine that ! :-)
Improving the chances that a Friendly AI will be created by someone is probably up there as a goal too.
That's a different goal, though. As far as I understand, olalonde's master plan looks something like this:
1). Figure out how to build AGI.
2). Build a reasonably smart one as a proof of concept.
3). Figure out where to go from there, and how to make AGI safe.
4). Eventually, build a transhuman AGI once we know it's safe.
Whereas the SIAI master plan looks something like this:
1). Make sure that an un-Friendly AGI does not get built.
2). Figure out how to build a Friendly AGI.
3). Build one.
4). Now that we know it's safe, build a transhuman AGI (or simply wait long enough, since the AGI from step (3) will boost itself to transhuman levels).
One key difference between olalonde's plan and SIAI's plan is the assumption SIAI is making: they are assuming that any AGI will inevitably (plus or minus epsilon) self-improve itself to transhuman levels. Thus, from their perspective, olalonde's step (2) above might as well say, "build a machine that's guaranteed to eat us all", which would clearly be a bad thing.
One key difference between olalonde's plan and SIAI's plan is the assumption SIAI is making: they are assuming that any AGI will inevitably (plus or minus epsilon) self-improve itself to transhuman levels. Thus, from their perspective, olalonde's step (2) above might as well say, "build a machine that's guaranteed to eat us all", which would clearly be a bad thing.
A good summary. I'd slightly modify it in as much as they would allow the possibility that a really weak AGI may not do much in the way of FOOMing but they pretty much ignore those o...
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