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by bostonwalker 938 days ago
> (Sutskever) has an exemplar in mind for the safeguards he wants to design: a machine that looks upon people the way parents look on their children

The most troubling statement in the entire article, buried at the bottom, almost a footnote.

Imagine for a moment a superintelligent AGI. It has figured out solutions to climate change, cured cancer, solved nuclear proliferation and world hunger. It can automate away all menial tasks and discomfort and be a source of infinite creative power. It would unquestionably be the greatest technological advancement ever to happen to humanity.

But where does that leave us? What kind of relationship can we have with an ultimate parental figure that can solve all of our problems and always knows what's best for us? What is left of the human spirit when you take away responsibility, agency, and moral dilemma?

I for one believe humans were made to struggle and make imperfect decisions in an imperfect world, and that we would never submit to a benevolent AI superparent. And I hope not to be proven wrong.
1 comments
m4x 930 days ago
Parents often let their children struggle and make imperfect decisions, and it's entirely possible (though definitely not guaranteed) that an AI superparent would do the same for us.

I think it's becoming clear that humans are fundamentally incapable of forseeing and understanding the consequences of the actions we are now capable of taking. It is likely that without some sort of super-governance that is fundamentally more capable than humans, we might not be able to survive as a species. Maybe AI can help solve that.

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