Friendship is Optimal has launched and is being published in chunks on FIMFiction.
Friendship is Optimal is a story about an optimizer written to "satisfy human values through friendship and ponies." I would like to thank everyone on LessWrong who came out and helped edit it. Friendship is Optimal wouldn't be what is today without your help.
Thank you.
Teaser description:
Hanna, the CEO of Hofvarpnir Studios, just won the contract to write the official My Little Pony MMO. Hanna has built an A.I. Princess Celestia and given her one basic drive: to satisfy everybody's values through friendship and ponies. And Princess Celestia will follow those instructions to the letter...even if you don't want her to.
Here is the schedule for the next chapters:
Friday (Nov. 16th): Chapter 4 - 5
Monday (Nov. 19th): Chapter 6 - 7
Thursday (Nov. 22th): Chapter 8 - 9
Sunday (Nov. 25th): Chapter 10 - 11, Author's Afterword
I would like it even if "but some people don't like ponies" got some air time. Or "but some people don't like to live in the simulation". Not necessarily haters or religious fanatics, just... I think the majority of people like their lifestyles and would like to preserve them, thankyouverymuch. Once it becomes clear that large scale human uploading is going on, they should have tried "something involving a fire axe", like you said.
I was surprised that it never happened, and Iceman failed to answer my questions so far as to why. Maybe he just ran out of steam and needed to get the main idea across?
What's "singleton-locked"?
Ending up ruled by a singleton that will single-mindedly call the shots on the future instead of you, forever, with practically no hope of ever getting to live elsewhere.