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PaperclipPerfector  1yr ago (text post)   27147 thread views

Culture War Roundup for the week of November 20, 2023

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Nukes? They exist.

Pandemics? They exist. Can they be made more dangerous? Yes. Are humans already making them more dangerous for no good reason? Yes.

But I don't see why super-intelligent AI will somehow make these vastly more dangerous, simply by being vastly smarter.

I consider it to be exceedingly unlikely.

Based on what evidence?

There seems to be little to nothing in the way of further scaling in the context of inhuman entities that are not constrained by the same biological limitations in size, volume, speed or energy.

Again, I agree, but again, further scaling in intelligence≠further scaling in power.

They already match or exceed the average human in most cognitive tasks

Again, so what? What part of "greater ability in cognitive tasks"≠"greater power over the material world" are you not getting — beyond, apparently, your need for it to be so based on you tying so much of your own ego to your own higher-than average intelligence?

I am the furthest from convinced that stage will be reached within spitting distance of the best of humanity.

Based on what evidence?

The relevant one would be comparing Newtonian physics to GR, and then QM. In the domains where such nuance becomes relevant, the benefits are grossly superior.

My degree is in physics. Yes, there's problems with the Standard Model. But there's far from any guarantees that whatever might replace it will provide anything like as revolutionary as those previous changes, particularly when it comes to practical effects.

Maybe I've just listened to Eric Weinstein go on about needing to put vast amounts of funding into physics too many times, because he never stops to consider that the "revolutionary new physics" we "need" to become "interplanetary" just aren't there. And then what?

Do me a favor, while I'm perfectly happy addressing your points, the amount of effort it would take exceeds what I'm willing to do for the sake of just one person or the handful who are reading week old threads this deep, so I suggest you make a new top-level post on the new thread, where I will happily continue the debate.

I'll check back shortly after I'm done studying, you're welcome to either link or post excerpts from my comments or summarize them as you see fit, I see no particular reason to think you'd twist them in bad faith.

If you want, I can do the same myself, but like I said, I really should be studying, if only till the Ritalin wears off haha.

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