From: Stuart, Ian (Ian.Stuart@woolpert.com)
Date: Wed May 18 2005 - 06:19:07 MDT
Greetings SL4,
I have finally broken my lurker status to mention a project which I just
finished reading about. Apparently the University of Wales is attempting,
along with 5 other universities, to construct a robot that thinks like a
human. While this is not necessarily alarming in and of itself, the amount
of funding being thrown at the project (1.9 Million Pounds to date)
potentially buys a LOT of computer power and definitely attracts attention.
The article, which is light on details, possibly because they don't exist
yet, can be found here:
http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0200wales/tm_objectid%3D15467574&met
hod%3Dfull&siteid%3D50082&headline%3Drobot-name_page.html
<http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0200wales/tm_objectid%3D15467574&me
thod%3Dfull&siteid%3D50082&headline%3Drobot-name_page.html>
The article seems to imply that the project aims for general cognition,
though possibly not human level cognition, and would appear to be more of
Evolutionary Psychology exercise than an attempt at a true AI. However; as
we all know, it doesn't take a purposely built AI to bring about the
singularity, and as computing power increases, the odds of stumbling across
general cognition increase.
At minimum I think that projects like this need to be watched, and, if
deemed that they have a chance of success, possibly an "Envoy of
Friendliness" could be sent to encourage them not to haphazardly unleash
such things upon the world without considering what would happen if it could
self improve beyond the level which they (the programmers) had intended.
That having been said, this is a join post, so I should probably tell
whomever cares something about myself. My name is Ian Stuart, I am a
mechanical engineer by trade, futurist, firm SL3, trying to find a way not
to still feel awe at the SL4 techs, avid reader, previously of fiction, but
these days non-fiction is more interesting, and firm believer in the
principles of the SIAI, also I want to live forever, so get used to seeing
me around.
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