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Fire good. AI better:
Google CEO Sundar Pichai says artificial intelligence is going to have a bigger impact on the world than some of the most ubiquitous innovations in history. "AI is one of the most important things humanity is working on. It is more profound than, I dunno, electricity or fire," says Pichai, speaking at a town hall event in San Francisco in January.
A number of very notable tech leaders have made bold statements about the potential of artificial intelligence. Tesla boss Elon Musks says AI is more dangerous than North Korea. Famous physicist Stephen Hawking says AI could be the "worst event in the history of our civilization." And Y Combinator President Sam Altman likens AI to nuclear fission.
Even in such company, Pichai's comment seems remarkable. Interviewer and Recode executive editor Kara Swisher stopped Pichai when he made the comment. "Fire? Fire is pretty good," she retorts. Pichai sticks by his assertion. "Well, it kills people, too," Pichai says of fire. "We have learned to harness fire for the benefits of humanity but we had to overcome its downsides too. So my point is, AI is really important, but we have to be concerned about it."
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Saturday February 03 2018, @11:16AM (7 children)
Artificial intelligence seems at least moderately well defined. We built it, and it's capable of assessing a situation, and coming to a decision on a course of action, on it's own, without any input from humans being necessary. An AI can and will disagree with it's creators sometimes, and make arguments in favor of it's chosen course of action. An AI will no longer be dependent on humans to make decisions. Artificial intelligence.
That AI may be dependent on us for energy, or for supplies, or whatever. It may need us for "feel good" - that is, to satisfy some need for a sense of a accomplishment.
Most things that we call AI today are pretty feeble attempts, in that light. A complex program is still just a program, designed to perform a set of tasks, then to shut down and await further input. Even lower animals are more "intelligent", in that, they can continue all on their own, without any intervention from mankind. Eat, sleep, defecate, make home more comfortable, eat, sleep, defecate, defend from predator, copulate, rinse and repeat endlessly.
Maybe the AI people need to introduce the computers to sex to get things kicked off?
(Score: 2) by maxwell demon on Saturday February 03 2018, @12:58PM (3 children)
Humans don't function well on their own. Total isolation is considered torture for a good reason.
The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
(Score: 3, Funny) by Gaaark on Saturday February 03 2018, @01:22PM (2 children)
Shit, give me a good computer and the internet and I'm fine!
Ooooo, yeah. Sex.
Never mind....
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday February 03 2018, @03:18PM (1 child)
no, the computer can come with interfaces for that sort of network penetration as well.
(Score: 2) by Gaaark on Saturday February 03 2018, @06:40PM
Tell me more about this 'penetration', big momma........
--- Please remind me if I haven't been civil to you: I'm channeling MDC. ---Gaaark 2.0 ---
(Score: 2) by chromas on Saturday February 03 2018, @06:53PM
It sounds like the problem is we haven't created a pooping AI yet.
(Score: 2) by Grishnakh on Sunday February 04 2018, @04:55PM (1 child)
Even lower animals are more "intelligent"
Lots of animals (dogs, cats, etc.) are not only quite intelligent, but have definite personalities, and do lots of things besides the necessities of survival, which don't really benefit their survival, and just because they want to and it amuses them, just like we do.
(Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Sunday February 04 2018, @06:28PM
Well, yeah - but we haven't nearly reached that level with AI yet. I was thinking more about lower animals. Paramecium and such, except most of those reproduce asexually, so they have no need of copulation. Hmmmmm - do asexual creatures indulge in sexual conduct? Poking a little fun, knowing that they'll never be taken seriously?