It's been an interesting week and by interesting I mean chaotic. We had five extra relatives (my wives' sister and her husband and three teen boys) where visiting from Costa Rica. I love my relatives and I especially love introducing folks from the tropics to the "lovely" winter weather of upstate NY. The thing is with five extra people in our house (my office) things get a little hectic and by hectic I mean crazy. It doesn't make it all that conducive for somebody who is fairly easily distractive to get a lot of writing down, especially when I am listening to a mix of Spanish and English throughout the day.
The thing is deadlines come no matter what I do. Therefore I need to find ways to be productive even when I am being distracted. One thing I did was go over my outline and what I've written so far making it a bit tighter. I also did some reading in the Technological Singularity. The time in our near future when machines through AI pretty much start improving themselves even creating their own machines. I decided I wanted to address this issue somewhat in my next novel, The Sapphire Sirens. Is this going to be a good thing or a bad thing? Many people worry that if the machines can"think" and create themselves they will pretty much start saying, "why do we need the carbon based cretins hanging around?" Therefore this would be a bad thing. (See the Terminator.) Others believe that this is a good thing as the machines will take over the heavily lifting allowing us humans to better our minds and have way more leisure time where we can do more fun stuff more often.
What will my "bubble gum for the brain" angle on this be? First off, it occurred to me that HARV kind of does represent (at least on some levels) a singularity . He is a living, thinking, creative being. He just happens to be made off energy instead of carbon. How would the world react to a real HARV? How would a real HARV react to the real world? Of course I will examine this in greater detail in my book but for now let's just say, I don't think this will be a bad a thing. I guess I am an optimist at heart and mind but I don't know what motive the machines would have to get rid of us. I think if nothing else the machines will keep us around for the entertainment value. Maybe they will end up telling "human jokes"?
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Interesting thought process. However, and I am sure if thought about long enough, there is an argument to be made about robots creating robots, or electronics creating electronics. The argument would consist of only being able to create something equal to or lesser than the current state of whatever is doing the creating. As humans we can, theoretically, create something that is equally intelligent as ourselves. However, the level of intelligence would be limited to the maximum intelligence of the being or human creating it. One of your conceits has HARV as an extremely intelligent being, but he is created by an extremely intelligent being (Randy) and as such is equal to or less than Randy. HARV as a mechanical creation cannot supersede the creator. There should be a logically structural argument that further supports this. Since computers must use logical argument and by extension logical interpretation of known phrases and meanings, only someone with a strong grasp of logical argument would be able to make a machine that was equal in intelligence. As such, it would be logical to assume that Randy is an expert in logic.
Makes me want to look into the logically notated argument to see how it works itself out. Though the idea is intriguing I think human nature has a tendency to become more lazy than more active, and to become less intelligent rather than more intelligent when not adequately or sufficiently challenged. As a result, intelligent machines would result in less intelligent machines being made because, sooner or later, the law of atrophy states that eventually humans have to get involved in the upkeep of the machines as the machines themselves will lose the ability to effect repairs, ultimately returning the upkeep and creation of machines back to a degraded human being.
I love the quote, "human nature has a tendency to become more lazy than more active..."
I'm not saying machines will ever surpass I'm just thinking that if they do they'd still want us around for the entertainment value.
Hey first off wow that's deep into the subject, really great thoughts! Anyway it's hard to say that a robot or free thinking A.I. would be at a level that doesn't go above, but still that's like saying that it can't go below. I've always see people interact and then mate (I don't watch that part) and the out come is this creation. This, hell let's call it a baby, this baby is then smarter then that parents or dumber or at the same level as one or both creators. That giving the thought why can't a robot be like that. I mean even in this day and age there are people that think the world was created (I can't prove that it wasn't) and something that we can from dust and were pretty much cosmic coal that turned into the diamonds we've become today. Now why can't a robot think this way like these people that think in this one way having follower bots or "blind" bot. Since humans create and become better, grow and die, build and destroy, we in a way are creators or angels of a being or that being since even people follower those with strong minds or wills.
Here is a great character that follows the example Kryten from the BBC show Red Dwarf. His character is a cyborg that thinks there is a life after deletion or "junking" a Heaven for just robots. The character's personality would make Woody Allen look like he was Keanu Reeves on a cold day or acting like it was cold. But the best part about the show is that it a good old laugh and that characters that are around this mental case make him seem even more out of place that it fits even more with every episode. I don't think I'm making much of this post, but I hope you do well can't wait ... well I can I just got the new book, but when I'm don't I hope to get a fresh copy there after. Also have you tried thinking in the past to look to the future as in Steampunk articles or stories might help with somethings for another example The Amazing Screw-On Head is a 30 romp though the adventures of a robot that's been around since Americans came from the U.K. to protect it in anyway. It's somewhat noir, but mostly great voice acting and comedy with Awesome ART.
I wanted to comment on the A.I subject but I realized that I would end up with a LONG entry, so I decided to write it in my own blog. You can look if you wish, or not, it's your choice. It made me think, that's the important part. Thanks
a little aside, my verification word is "fordila" Weird!
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