Summary of the Blinkist summary :
In Superintelligence, we learn about the journey toward AI so far – where we might be going; the moral issues and safety concerns we need to address, and the best ways to reach the goal of creating a machine that’ll outsmart all others.
Superintelligence by 2105
The main difference between human beings and animals is our capacity for abstract thinking paired with the ability to communicate and accumulate information. In essence, our superior intelligence propelled us to the top.
AI is categorised into three levels
• Artificial Narrow Intelligence (ANI) – eg Alexa
• Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) – eg AlphaGo
• Artificial Super Intelligence (ASI)
Most experts think that machines as intelligent as humans will exist by 2075 and that superintelligence will exist by 2105. What would the emergence of a new species, intellectually superior to humans, mean for the world?
SI Machine and WBE
Superintelligence (SI) is likely to emerge in two different ways.
It’s clear that imitating human intelligence is an effective way to build technology, but imitation comes in many forms. So, while some scientists are in favour of synthetically designing a machine that simulates humans, others stand by an exact imitation of human biology, a strategy that could be accomplished with techniques like Whole Brain Emulation (WBE).
AI mimics the way humans learn and think by calculating probability. This strategy relies on a large data bank. There are two ways to get around it. One potential solution is to build “the child machine”, a computer that comes with basic information and is designed to learn from experience. Another option is WBE, which works by replicating the entire neural structure of the human brain to imitate its function. However, the technology – High Precision Brain Scans, necessary for this process is not here yet.
SI to learn human values
To ensure the SI doesn’t misunderstand its purpose and cause unspeakable devastation, we have to program the motivation for SI to accomplish its various human-given goals. This is tricky tho, because while ANI & AGI is only motivated to achieve the goal for which it has been programmed, an SI would likely go beyond its programmed objectives in ways that our inferior minds couldn’t predict.
Programmed to learn human values could be one of the solutions to this problem. SI could be taught to determine whether an action is in line with a core human value.
Replace the human workforce
Intelligent machines will probably replace the entire human workforce. The result of such advances would mean a human existence that is largely automated low-risk and devoid of adventure. And where would that leave us? How would we occupy ourselves in such a future?
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