CarlShulman comments on Wanted: "The AIs will need humans" arguments - Less Wrong

7 Post author: Kaj_Sotala 14 June 2012 11:01AM

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Comment author: CarlShulman 19 June 2012 06:44:36AM *  3 points [-]

I agree with this, but the instrumental scientific motivation to predict hostile aliens that might be encountered in space:

1) doesn't protect quality-of-life or lifespan for the simulations, brains-in-vats, and Truman Show inhabitants, indeed it suggests poor historical QOL levels and short lifespans;

2) seems likely to consume only a tiny portion of all resources available to an interstellar civilization, in light of diminishing returns.

Comment author: gwern 19 June 2012 03:05:49PM 0 points [-]

2) seems likely to consume only a tiny portion of all resources available to an interstellar civilization, in light of diminishing returns.

Would that be due to the proportions between the surface and volume of a sphere, or just the general observation that the more you investigate an area without finding anything the less likely anything exists?

Comment author: CarlShulman 19 June 2012 09:51:28PM 1 point [-]

The latter: as you put ever more ridiculous amounts of resources into modeling aliens you'll find fewer insights per resource unit, especially actionable insights.