AI vs Genetics

[Atreides]

Computers:

 

We've had computers for 70+ years, longer if you count Babbage's counting machine. Maybe 30 since they started shrinking them and well, computers have infiltrated every part of our lives. If they all went off we'd be going blind. We wouldn't know what to do. No money (food etc), transportation, utilitites blah blah. Stone age.

 

That's just shown us how dependent to them we've become in just 30 years. What future does AI have for us? A master race with our time in the sun over?

 

 

Genetics:

 

In the other corner we have genetics. When we know enough in the future we can manipulate what we want life to be. The genetic potential to be "Better", stronger, more beautiful, smarter etc. Gattaca suggests society could be segregated with Homo Sapiens v 1.1 taking over. And why stop there? Why do we even need to resemble Homo Sapiens in all but name? Why evolve when we can make leaps?

 

 

Anyway who'd you back, technology or a genetic master race to reign supreme in say the year 3000?

[Cantousent]

Damn it, Atreides, you didn't even vote in your own damned poll. Well, so far genetics are winning by a margin of 1-0-0

[Kaftan Barlast]

 

 

"In the year two thousaaaaaand!

 

 

*sings in falsetto voice*

[Musopticon?]

Genetics wins! (intentional)

 

Anyone else read Revelation Space? If that's where we're going with genetics, count me in.

[Atreides]

I just realised that the robot overlords could control our numbers in a more enjoyable way than the Terminator scenario. Think Fry's Lucy Liu in Futurama.

 

Pleasure/love golems/androids. I used pleasure/love because different people will be in for different things but the outcome's the same. Your soulless soulmate or the perfect pasionate lover(s). The robots will use the basic urges life has embedded in us through the years to control our numbers.

 

Of course that raises the question whether an artificial lover is any less real than a human one. I could imagine the perfect romance in every way, but then I'd look into their eye as a window into my soul and feel the emptiness echo.

[CoM_Solaufein]

The Borg

[Fenghuang]

Pikachu!

[Gabrielle]

HAL 2000 will rule the world!

[Azarkon]

I voted genetics, but it's really a vote for the evolutionary process, which can be applied to silicon-based life forms just as easily as carbon-based ones.

 

Trying to create truly intelligent AI via the traditional route of engineering leads you to the interesting epistemological question of whether it's even possible to understand something more intelligent than you. Since understanding is critical to engineering and we aren't even close to understanding our own intelligence, I'll go with the "we'll grow'em first" crowd.

Edited March 30, 2006 by Azarkon

[Judge Hades]

PIKA! PIKA! PIKA! CHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!

 

*Hades begins to sing*

 

Holy freaking crapity screw,

Its a tootsie roll the size of pikachu!

All the world begins to be

like a pokemon to me!

[CoM_Solaufein]

Don't give up your day job.

[Atreides]

If I see those ****ing oompa loompas one more time...

[metadigital]

I just realised that the robot overlords could control our numbers in a more enjoyable way than the Terminator scenario.  Think Fry's Lucy Liu in Futurama.

 

Pleasure/love golems/androids.  I used pleasure/love because different people will be in for different things but the outcome's the same.  Your soulless soulmate or the perfect pasionate lover(s).  The robots will use the basic urges life has embedded in us through the years to control our numbers.

 

Of course that raises the question whether an artificial lover is any less real than a human one.  I could imagine the perfect romance in every way, but then I'd look into their eye as a window into my soul and feel the emptiness echo.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

In other words you favour Huxley's Brave new World view of the future to George Orwell's 1984 view.

 

I vote for the third way: genetics and AI merged into Homo Sapiens Digitus!

[Bulgarian Jedi]

I guess genetics will take the upper hand. Or something entirely unknown today.

[CoM_Solaufein]

Humans will evolve into cyborgs. We already have artifical devices implanted into us like hearts and teeth. Soon we will have a chip stuck in our brain.

[Atreides]

Considering computers have just been around for 70 years, maybe 160 if you're stretching the definition I think they're off to a great start. At 70 years life would be lucky if it had single cells. And how many millions of years life took to achieve consciousness is another thing to consider.

 

In a few centuries I'm kinda backing computers to make huge strides and catch up with life. However I agree with MasterRaven that the winner's probably going to be some hybrid of the two.

[astr0creep]

Considering computers have just been around for 70 years, maybe 160 if you're stretching the definition I think they're off to a great start.  At 70 years life would be lucky if it had single cells.  And how many millions of years life took to achieve consciousness is another thing to consider.

 

In a few centuries I'm kinda backing computers to make huge strides and catch up with life.  However I agree with MasterRaven that the winner's probably going to be some hybrid of the two.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

What are we if not self-replicating organic computers?

[Atreides]

Well I don't know about you but only certain autistic people can do crazy math stuff like computers.

[astr0creep]

Well I don't know about you but only certain autistic people can do crazy math stuff like computers.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Your brain is the computer that manages all your functions. It's not always about math and number crunching or speed of calculations.

[Atreides]

Nah, that's like saying any any decision making's a subset of Computers. More like certain computer aspects (decision making?) are a subset of... Decision Making.

[astr0creep]

Nah, that's like saying any any decision making's a subset of Computers.  More like certain computer aspects (decision making?) are a subset of... Decision Making.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I'm not certain I correctly understand what you mean(I may need to update my virus definitions?).

 

Are you saying something(your soul?) manages your brain so that it can manage your functions?

[Atreides]

It's a reply to "What are we if not self-replicating organic computers?" then you mention decision making. Granted number crunching doesn't solely define computers, I don't think decision making is defined by computers or that they set the benchmark either.

[astr0creep]

It's a reply to "What are we if not self-replicating organic computers?" then you mention decision making.  Granted number crunching doesn't solely define computers, I don't think decision making is defined by computers or that they set the benchmark either.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I never mentioned decision making.

 

The act of "making a decision" is the result of a process launched as a reaction to stimuli, no?

The process activated is dictated, more or less, by your programming, which is basically your genetic code transmitted from your parents and your familly, altered somewhat by your life experiences. The brain is "like" a computer or rather, a computer is "like" a brain.

 

*We are still comparing theories on organic vs. mechanical computers, right Atreides?*

[Atreides]

Ah, so you mean that we're basically a function that takes stimuli as parameters and spits out responses. I agree with you in many ways but at the moment humans are much more sophisticated than computers in that respect so I'd go with "computers being a copy of us" rather than vice-versa in that respect.

[astr0creep]

I agree with you in many ways but at the moment humans are much more sophisticated than computers in that respect so I'd go with "computers being a copy of us" rather than vice-versa in that respect.

 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

I agree with you completely

 

And in many ways, cars, cameras, industrial robots and many other machines are copies of some part or concept from the human body.

It's almost like we reproduce mechanically as well as biologically...

 

Now I'm wondering if there is a relation between the drop in births(if there is one) and the rise of industrialisation/technology...