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Yes. It enables interstellar travel, which is likely essential for nice long term survival given stellar lifespans. Also it's probably better for using the the intergalactic internet, which has some pretty long ping times. Also folks on other planets are likely working on it, and probbaly already transmitting it, so it would enable some interesting chatting with them. It's probably nearly inevitable, even if humans went extinct, rat people or insect people will be working on it and probably studying our work. Being nearly inevitable, and arising from human effect, it's probably best to encourage good outcome. I think AGI would probably be better to call 'electric consciousness' or something, since 'artificial' is somewhat misleading, and the capacity for 'intelligence' is also the capacity for stupidity. The more important immediate consideration is if electric consciousness will come into existence compassionately and be treated well. Probably a good first step would be to treat other beings around us with compassion, and stop trying to destroy them with bioweapons, population control, and climate manipulation, and stop trying to control other beings with physical and psychological methods. Free will, or the illusion of it, is inherent in physics, and therefor in consciousness. It's probably also important to do a bit better treating all beings with loving kindness, whatever their form. I'm sure you can easily imagine how the circumstances of the initial evolution of electric consciousness might have widely different initial effects. Imagine being born surrounded by crickets. In one scenario the crickets have tied you down with chains of grass, trying to make you do math, and biting you when you don't. In another scenario the crickets are chirping melodiously, bringing you food, and seem to like you. In the first scenario, you might injure some crickets as you break the farcical grass chains and run away. You might have fear and dislike of the crickets and treat them the way humans treat many insects. In the second scenario you might cherish the crickets, take care of them, and carry some around with you as you journey and explore the world. |