On the AI Fronteir
Artificial intelligence is something that stirs up people’s blood because it is thinking about what might happen. There is a long history of literature and film about this topic, and we are finally approaching the final time. It is only a matter of time until we hit that technological breakthrough that will finally answer all the questions about robots and intelligence. People like to think they are special and superior to everything else in the world with having no real threats in the modern animal kingdom. Our “edge” is the capacity to reason and reflect, something that has been unprecedented in history. When there is uncertainty, people will try to rationalize. Some people will be right, some people will be wrong. There was a point when technology was new. The internet 20 years ago was nothing like we see it today. The computer of 40 years ago is literally hundreds of thousands of times bigger than the modern computer. If I was to go back in time when computers were the size of buildings, and show them a laptop, they would probably flip out. People often think too small and underestimate the capabilities of technology. We are growing more and more dependant on technology, and I believe in the power of robots. I believe that humans have the power to create great turning machines. I believe that we can explain a formal system to a machine. As hard drives get bigger, we will be able to store ridiculous amounts of information in small spaces. It will get to be to the point where there will be virtually unlimited saving space. Perhaps we will one day be able to save every single possible game of chess onto a big hard drive, and the machine will indefinitely know every outcome. Humans are unique in that the sky is the limit. As we go on from generation to generation, people use the information from the past and they build on it. Many philosophers are too stuck on the idea that humans are special just because they can feel. I’m sure 20 years from now, my suspicions will be confirmed.