Comments on: Good enough … intelligence http://www.foresight.org/nanodot/?p=3305 examining transformative technology Fri, 07 Jun 2013 18:02:02 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.0.4 By: Tim Tyler http://www.foresight.org/nanodot/?p=3305#comment-859883 Tim Tyler Sat, 05 Sep 2009 19:49:06 +0000 http://www.foresight.org/nanodot/?p=3305#comment-859883 I am not aware of any evidence suggesting that human intelligence is anywhere near optimal. We are evolution's first stab at building an engineered civilization. The chances of our brains being anywhere near optimal seem pretty miniscule. Already we can see a global nervous system taking shape. Such a nervous system seems likely to be associated with a rather large brain - the size of a big data-centre, perhaps. I am not aware of any evidence suggesting that human intelligence is anywhere near optimal. We are evolution’s first stab at building an engineered civilization. The chances of our brains being anywhere near optimal seem pretty miniscule.

Already we can see a global nervous system taking shape. Such a nervous system seems likely to be associated with a rather large brain – the size of a big data-centre, perhaps.

]]> By: peterh http://www.foresight.org/nanodot/?p=3305#comment-859879 peterh Fri, 04 Sep 2009 23:14:44 +0000 http://www.foresight.org/nanodot/?p=3305#comment-859879 "because it’s an optimum spot in the spectrum of possibilities." Optimal? Um, no. As the article already said, nothing about us is "optimal" -- just Good Enough. I expect neo entities to have both completely different platforms and wildly variable proximate definitions of optimal -- or rather, "good enough". If you have near-telepathy-level communication and can download skills, maybe you can be quite a bit slower on the uptake and still be more than "good enough". (OTOH, it's not all going to be thermal grease and fresh batteries: you might need a lot of warez smarts to avoid bogus skill downloads that actually try to get you to send your upload credits to Elbonia.) Anyway, I foresee no remarkable peak near ours looking forward. We do already have vague suspicions about scaling laws. By those rules, the bulk of all "intelligences" should more resemble insects, if not bacteria. Regards, -- peterh “because it’s an optimum spot in the spectrum of possibilities.”

Optimal? Um, no. As the article already said, nothing about us is “optimal” — just Good Enough.

I expect neo entities to have both completely different platforms and wildly variable proximate definitions of optimal — or rather, “good enough”. If you have near-telepathy-level communication and can download skills, maybe you can be quite a bit slower on the uptake and still be more than “good enough”.

(OTOH, it’s not all going to be thermal grease and fresh batteries: you might need a lot of warez smarts to avoid bogus skill downloads that actually try to get you to send your upload credits to Elbonia.)

Anyway, I foresee no remarkable peak near ours looking forward. We do already have vague suspicions about scaling laws. By those rules, the bulk of all “intelligences” should more resemble insects, if not bacteria.

Regards,
— peterh

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