timtyler comments on A big Singularity-themed Hollywood movie out in April offers many opportunities to talk about AI risk - Less Wrong

34 Post author: chaosmage 07 January 2014 05:48PM

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Comment author: Ander 07 January 2014 11:32:06PM 1 point [-]

"Because if there isn't, they'll dismiss the danger of AI like Erik Sofge already did in an early piece about the movie for Popular Science, and nudge their readers to do so too. And that'd be a shame, wouldn't it?"

I would much rather see someone dismiss the dangers of AI, than misrepresent them, by having a movie in which Johnny Depp plays "a seemingly megalomaniacal AI researcher". This gives the impression that a "mad scientist" type who creates an "evil" AI that takes over the world is what we should worry about. Eliezer's posts do a great job of explaining the actual dangers of unfriendly AI, more along the lines of "the AI neither loves you, nor hates you, but you are composed of matter it can use for other things". That is, that if we create a powerful AI (or an AI who creates an AI who creates an AI who creates a powerful AI), whose values and morals do not align with what we humans would "want", that it will probably result in something terrible. (And not even in a way that provides us the silver lining of 'well, the AIs wiped out humanity, but at least the AI civilization is highly advanced and interesting! But more like: now the entire planet earth is a Grey Goo/Paperclips/whatever). Or even just the danger of us biological humans losing relevance in a world with superintelligent entities.

While I would love to see a great, well done, well thought out movie about Transhumanism, it seems pretty likely that this movie is just going to make me angry/annoyed. I really hope I am wrong, and that this movie is actually great.

Comment author: ChristianKl 08 January 2014 12:11:05PM 0 points [-]

Eliezer's posts do a great job of explaining the actual dangers of unfriendly AI, more along the lines of "the AI neither loves you, nor hates you, but you are composed of matter it can use for other things".

I'm not sure that's true. At the beginning stages where an AI is vulnerable it might very well use violence to prevent itself from getting destroyed.

Comment author: timtyler 10 January 2014 12:18:08AM *  -2 points [-]

Also, competition between humans (with machines as tools) seems far more likely to kill people than a superintelligent runaway. However, it's (arguably) not so likely to kill everybody. MIRI appears to be focussing on the "killing everybody case". That is because - according to them - that is a really, really bad outcome.

The idea that losing 99% of humans would be acceptable losses may strike laymen as crazy. However, it might appeal to some of those in the top 1%. People like Peter Thiel, maybe.