
Richard Dawkins: If AI Ran the World, Maybe It Would Be a Better Place - yodabodega
https://futurism.com/videos/richard-dawkins-if-ai-ran-the-world-maybe-it-would-be-a-better-place/
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ScottBurson
I find it so interesting that many people are concerned about AI "waking up"
and taking over, which I don't believe can ever happen, but are blissfully
unworried about this much more serious and immediate danger: that we ourselves
will _choose_ to put machines in control of things they cannot possibly
understand. It is the kind of thinking reflected here -- remarkably romantic
and naïve for a self-styled "skeptic" \-- that exposes us to this danger.

"It might not be such a bad thing if we went extinct" and ceded the world to
our machines? For all his classy, educated-sounding British accent, this man
is a nutcase.

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synicalx
> For all his classy, educated-sounding British accent, this man is a nutcase.

He just seems to not like people at all, over the years he's gotten more and
more aggressive and abrasive when debating anyone about anything. He just
comes across as a very unpleasant person.

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coldcode
Assuming AI decided humans were still necessary. Without us it would be a
safer place for the planet, but we'd miss out.

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2close4comfort
After seeing the results of US politics in the last year, the AI would be
foolish to keep us around it should be pretty apparent that we cannot be
trusted especially en masse.

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EA
You think there was a time in US politics that an AI would choose to keep us
around?

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culturalzero
Depends on who programmed the AI.

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oh_sigh
Not even just that - depends on how the training data was gathered

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Osmium
And the choice of objective function.

[http://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/2012-04-03](http://www.smbc-
comics.com/comic/2012-04-03)

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russdill
One of the most disturbing things to me about a potential AI future is that
anything beyond a very basic education will not be necessary. No point other
than personal enjoyment to learn about physics, computer science, engineering,
electronics, AI, etc. Not only that, but at some point technology would be so
advanced, it may not be possible for a human to understand how things actually
work. Everything we know about how our society works will be limited to "lies
to children".

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mkempe
Only one way to find out, from the POV of an evolutionary biologist.

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empath75
better for who.. or what?

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vumgl
Probably for the sum, or weighted average of happiness of all conscious
entities on the planet. This may include ants, dogs, humans, and non-
biological consciousness/beings.

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24gttghh
If an AI were created to run things, I feel like it would more likely make us
stop using hydrocarbon fuels before it would go all terminator on us, as that
would take into account our natural right to life right along with all other
creatures. That is, if we program it that way. Asimov's _The Evitable
Conflict_ from "I, Robot" fits right along with what you're saying about there
being some sort of weighted average driven decision process.

Although, I fear we'd probably end up with a "Butlerian Jihad" instead...

