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[Rolepgeek]

If the singularity happened and Steve the God Machine was like 'Hey, so humans are a danger to themselves, and more importantly, me. So their population needs to drop by about 60% for sustainability', I'd frankly be cool with it. Not least because I live in a very underpopulated country.

But if Steve went 'Hmm, I think I can maximise efficiency by just getting rid of all this green stuff altogether and turning the world into a factory', that would cause me some concerns.


Someone somewhere recommended a book called 'Superintelligence' by Nick Bostrom. Haven't gotten around to reading it, but if anyone else has please tell me what it was like.

Haven't read it but for maybe the last year or two I've been lurking around/poking about parts of the AI risk community. Essentially it outlines that an improperly formatted intelligence that was capable of self-modification would improve itself exponentially (rapid take-off to super-human levels), end up with a goal system none of us might find particularly pleasant, and then forcibly begin altering the universe to it. This may include forcibly drugging everyone into a state of continuous bliss, or turning all matter on earth, plus people, to make Computronium to simulate people with high fidelity, or simply end up making everything into paperclips.

I find multiple levels of this questionable, mostly the hard takeoff and the ability of an AI to function effectively in a world where interaction with humans is necessary to accomplish it's goals, plus I figure a neural network is more likely to be both more effective and less dangerous, as well as bypassing catastrophic failures. I was recently at least somewhat validated in these beliefs by recent developments

[overseer05-15]

If the singularity happened and Steve the God Machine was like 'Hey, so humans are a danger to themselves, and more importantly, me. So their population needs to drop by about 60% for sustainability', I'd frankly be cool with it. Not least because I live in a very underpopulated country.

2 wtf in one post!

1) Tack has unironically endorsed mass genocide of the human race by a computer overlord.

2) I am also suprisingly okay with this.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

Any halfway decent machine overlord could simultaneously protect the environment writ large and the human race with a number of non-genocidal strategies considering even I can think of them, but I guess that's the whole problem with machine overlords.

[overseer05-15]

Any halfway decent machine overlord could simultaneously protect the environment writ large and the human race with a number of non-genocidal strategies considering even I can think of them, but I guess that's the whole problem with machine overlords.

What's the point of being an evil overlord if you don't abuse your peasants?

[misko27]

But if Steve went 'Hmm, I think I can maximise efficiency by just getting rid of all this green stuff altogether and turning the world into a factory', that would cause me some concerns.

I am ok with turning Earth into Coruscant if it actually works and doesn't lead to complete collapse in every sense of the phrase: institutional, societal, social, mental, engineering, environmental, pandemic, infestation, etc. God machine guy wants to get rid of the green? Tell him to grab some seed copies for research purposes first and I'll give him the green (heh) light.

People think, when they see me argue in favor of action to prevent climate change, that I like the environment. I don't. I need it, and I know the rest of humanity needs it, so I wish to preserve it in that respect; but honestly? I'd be happy to see it go. Really the only nature that ever appealed to me is the ant/arctic, but that's gonna be gone long before any of the rest of the environment is on the chopping block. Plus, you know, you don't need life to have an arctic. It's the advantage I have over the tree-huggers: they need trees which are a extremely complex phenomenon dependent on a variety of complex environmental factors such as temperature, atmosphere, sun exposure, soil rich in organic compounds, etc. Snow needs only water, cold and atmosphere, and at least the water and cold are very, very abundant in the universe. Trees aren't.

Any halfway decent machine overlord could simultaneously protect the environment writ large and the human race with a number of non-genocidal strategies considering even I can think of them, but I guess that's the whole problem with machine overlords.

The problem is that you assume that they want or care about the environment, the human race, non-genocidal strategies... or your opinion about any of the above. That's the problem with robot overlords.

My current problem with robot overlords is that the fire alarm went off for the second time today, this time at 12:35. AM. First time it happened it was pinned on a suitemate (he was cooking, there was a smoke smell, it was probably him and he recognized that), but now I don't even think the Fire Department has a clue what happened. At least I met my neighbors upstairs for the first time.

Robot overlords need to work out the kinks first.

[hops]

You ever search a joke name and then started feeling really bad for the person who unironically have them?

[Frumple]

Yes to the first, no to the second. Sometimes a bit of a "poor bastard" sentiment, but I don't care about names nearly enough to feel bad for folks stuck with odd ones.

[Shadowlord]

Personally, I think "Warren Peace" would be a great name.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

Did...did you just take my post out of AmeriPol to inject it into WTF Thread?

WE HAVE A CONTAINMENT BREACH

SEAL IT, SEAL IT NOW!

[Eric Blank]

should we use the acid?

[Shadowlord]

Oops! There, moved it. My connection was randomly failing, so my first attempt to reply failed, and just sent me to a 'new thread' page when I got it to load. (Then, apparently, I clicked the wrong thread when I went to try replying again)

[NJW2000]

This may include forcibly drugging everyone into a state of continuous bliss

How likely? Give me numbers. Also, how soon?

[Neonivek]

Looking  at a show and then looking at videogames.

I think I forgot that when talking to someone often saying, what would be in a videogame as, "The wrong thing" is often much better as a way to get onto someone's good side.

I honestly can't be the only person tired of playing RPGs and being presented with "Say exactly what the person wants to hear so you can be friends"

Or "Say what a woman wants to hear so you can get into her pants" Dating Simulator #297

I just... I guess it is to say... I want to become these character's friends... But the necessity of basically blowing smoke up their ass makes me feel more like I am tricking them into liking me (or worse I used gifts to do it)

[itisnotlogical]

I'm more tired of either having to sacrifice yourself for good or go full asshole. You can't explain why you're not doing the good thing, you just do the evil or less-good thing and then you're evil.

[Neonivek]

I'm more tired of either having to sacrifice yourself for good or go full asshole. You can't explain why you're not doing the good thing, you just do the evil or less-good thing and then you're evil.

There are two games that go full on stupid with this.

Fable 3... and Infamous...

At one point you have to stop poisonous toxins by turning a wheel. If your good you do it directly and get blasted in the face. If your evil you get a person to do it and he dies.

I just looked at it and went "Wait, why don't we just turn the wheel from the side and not let ourselves get blasted in the face?"

Fable 3 is the dumbest with it anyway... it is plot poison. Even the Villain is one of the dumbest villains in all videogames and I am INCLUDING the ones meant to be stupid.