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Thought Experiment Terrifies Futurists

posted by LaminatorX on Tuesday July 29 2014, @10:49AM   Printer-friendly
from the That-Hideous-Strength dept.

AnonTechie writes:

Why are techno-futurists so freaked out by Roko's Basilisk?

Slender Man. Smile Dog. Goatse. These are some of the urban legends spawned by the Internet. Yet none is as all-powerful and threatening as Roko's Basilisk. For Roko's Basilisk is an evil, godlike form of artificial intelligence, so dangerous that if you see it, or even think about it too hard, you will spend the rest of eternity screaming in its torture chamber. It's like the videotape in The Ring. Even death is no escape, for if you die, Roko's Basilisk will resurrect you and begin the torture again.

http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/bitwise/2014/07/roko_s_basilisk_the_most_terrifying_thought_experiment_of_all_time.single.html

http://rationalwiki.org/wiki/LessWrong

 
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  • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 29 2014, @11:27AM

    by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday July 29 2014, @11:27AM (#74937)

    I'm not at all terrified by Roko's Basilisk.

  • (Score: 2) by RobotMonster on Tuesday July 29 2014, @11:50AM

    by RobotMonster (130) on Tuesday July 29 2014, @11:50AM (#74955) Journal

    I'm more worried about learning The World's Funniest Joke [youtube.com] (by Monty Python).

    • (Score: 2) by nightsky30 on Tuesday July 29 2014, @12:47PM

      by nightsky30 (1818) on Tuesday July 29 2014, @12:47PM (#74978)

      Does it involve SPAM? (I've not clicked the link)

      • (Score: 3, Informative) by RobotMonster on Tuesday July 29 2014, @03:05PM

        by RobotMonster (130) on Tuesday July 29 2014, @03:05PM (#75077) Journal

        No, there is no SPAM behind that link.
        It's a short film about the world's funniest joke -- hear the joke and you die laughing. The military weaponise it, hilarity ensues :-)

  • (Score: 1) by Buck Feta on Tuesday July 29 2014, @02:27PM

    by Buck Feta (958) on Tuesday July 29 2014, @02:27PM (#75044) Journal

    I, for one, can't believe that no one has welcomed our future Basilisk overlord, yet.

    --
    - fractious political commentary goes here -

  • (Score: 3, Informative) by mrider on Tuesday July 29 2014, @02:36PM

    by mrider (3252) on Tuesday July 29 2014, @02:36PM (#75054)

    o.b. xkcd [xkcd.com]

    --

    Doctor: "Do you hear voices?"

    Me: "Only when my bluetooth is charged."