Mind Is All That Matters: Reasons to Focus on Cognitive Technologies Eliezer Yudkowsky Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence singinst.org

Eliezer Yudkowsky Singularity Institute for AI

Eliezer Yudkowsky Singularity Institute for AI

Eliezer Yudkowsky Singularity Institute for AI (Image from Oak Ridge National Laboratory) Eliezer Yudkowsky Singularity Institute for AI

Eliezer Yudkowsky Singularity Institute for AI Felleman, D.J. and Van Essen, D.C. (1991) Distributed hierarchical processing in primate visual cortex. Cerebral Cortex, 1: 1-47. Eliezer Yudkowsky Singularity Institute for AI

Eliezer Yudkowsky Singularity Institute for AI

"Book smarts" vs. cognition: "Book smarts" evokes images of: Calculus Chess Memorizing facts Strict rules in well-understood situations Other stuff that happens in the brain: Persuasiveness Enthusiasm Empathy Strategic thinking Musical talent Rationality Eliezer Yudkowsky Singularity Institute for AI

The scale of intelligent minds: a parochial view. Village idiot Einstein Eliezer Yudkowsky Singularity Institute for AI

The scale of intelligent minds: a parochial view. Village idiot Einstein A more cosmopolitan view: Village idiot Chimp Einstein Mouse Eliezer Yudkowsky Singularity Institute for AI

"Supermen are superthinkers; anything else is a side issue "Supermen are superthinkers; anything else is a side issue." -- SF author Robert Heinlein Eliezer Yudkowsky Singularity Institute for AI

©Marlo Steed

Eliezer Yudkowsky Singularity Institute for AI

One of these technologies is not like the others... Artificial Intelligence Cancer cure Interplanetary travel Nanomanufacturing Eliezer Yudkowsky Singularity Institute for AI

Eliezer Yudkowsky Singularity Institute for AI "The influence of animal or vegetable life on matter is infinitely beyond the range of any scientific inquiry hitherto entered on. Its power of directing the motions of moving particles, in the demonstrated daily miracle of our human free-will, and in the growth of generation after generation of plants from a single seed, are infinitely different from any possible result of the fortuitous concurrence of atoms... Modern biologists were coming once more to the acceptance of something and that was a vital principle." -- Lord Kelvin Eliezer Yudkowsky Singularity Institute for AI

AI Village idiot Chimp Einstein Mouse Eliezer Yudkowsky Singularity Institute for AI

In Every Known Human Culture: tool making weapons grammar tickling meal times mediation of conflicts dance, singing personal names promises mourning (Donald E. Brown, 1991. Human universals. New York: McGraw-Hill.) Eliezer Yudkowsky Singularity Institute for AI

A complex adaptation must be universal within a species. (John Tooby and Leda Cosmides, 1992. The Psychological Foundations of Culture. In The Adapted Mind, eds. Barkow, Cosmides, and Tooby.) Eliezer Yudkowsky Singularity Institute for AI

A complex adaptation must be universal within a species. If: 6 necessary genes Each at 10% frequency in population Then: 1 in 1,000,000 have complete adaptation (John Tooby and Leda Cosmides, 1992. The Psychological Foundations of Culture. In The Adapted Mind, eds. Barkow, Cosmides, and Tooby.) Eliezer Yudkowsky Singularity Institute for AI

Incremental evolution of complexity: [A] A is advantageous by itself. [A←B] B depends on A. [A'↔B] A' replaces A, depends on B. [A'B←C] C depends on A' and B ... (John Tooby and Leda Cosmides, 1992. The Psychological Foundations of Culture. In The Adapted Mind, eds. Barkow, Cosmides, and Tooby.) Eliezer Yudkowsky Singularity Institute for AI

The Psychic Unity of Humankind Complex adaptations must be universal in a species – including cognitive machinery in Homo sapiens! (John Tooby and Leda Cosmides, 1992. The Psychological Foundations of Culture. In The Adapted Mind, eds. Barkow, Cosmides, and Tooby.) Eliezer Yudkowsky Singularity Institute for AI

Must… not… emote…

The Great Failure of Imagination: Anthropomorphism Eliezer Yudkowsky Singularity Institute for AI

Mind Projection Fallacy: If I am ignorant about a phenomenon, this is a fact about my state of mind, not a fact about the phenomenon. (Jaynes, E.T. 2003. Probability Theory: The Logic of Science. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.) Eliezer Yudkowsky Singularity Institute for AI

Minds-in-general Human minds Eliezer Yudkowsky Singularity Institute for AI

Minds-in-general Transhuman mindspace Human minds Eliezer Yudkowsky Singularity Institute for AI

Minds-in-general Posthuman mindspace Transhuman mindspace Human minds Eliezer Yudkowsky Singularity Institute for AI

Minds-in-general Bipping AIs Posthuman mindspace Freepy AIs Gloopy AIs Transhuman mindspace Human minds Eliezer Yudkowsky Singularity Institute for AI

Minds-in-general Bipping AIs Posthuman mindspace Freepy AIs Gloopy AIs Transhuman mindspace YOU ARE HERE Human minds Eliezer Yudkowsky Singularity Institute for AI

Fallacy of the Giant Cheesecake Major premise: A superintelligence could create a mile-high cheesecake. Minor premise: Someone will create a recursively self-improving AI. Conclusion: The future will be full of giant cheesecakes. Power does not imply motive. Eliezer Yudkowsky Singularity Institute for AI

Fallacy of the Giant Cheesecake Major premise: A superintelligence could create a mile-high cheesecake. Minor premise: Someone will create a recursively self-improving AI. Conclusion: The future will be full of giant cheesecakes. Power does not imply motive. Eliezer Yudkowsky Singularity Institute for AI

Minds-in-general Human minds Eliezer Yudkowsky Singularity Institute for AI

Eliezer Yudkowsky Singularity Institute for AI

Minds-in-general YOU ARE HERE Eliezer Yudkowsky Singularity Institute for AI

Minds-in-general YOU ARE HERE Eliezer Yudkowsky Singularity Institute for AI

Eliezer Yudkowsky Singularity Institute for AI

Cognitive Technology Closes the Loop: Eliezer Yudkowsky Singularity Institute for AI

"Intelligence Explosion": I. J. Good's "Intelligence Explosion": AI (Good, I. J. 1965. Speculations Concerning the First Ultraintelligent Machine.) Eliezer Yudkowsky Singularity Institute for AI

AI Village idiot Chimp Einstein Mouse Eliezer Yudkowsky Singularity Institute for AI

Friendly AI Eliezer Yudkowsky Singularity Institute for AI

Friendly AI Eliezer Yudkowsky Singularity Institute for AI

that impact upon the mind. Summary: Intelligence supports all human abilities Technology comes from intelligence Whatever impacts intelligence lifts the tree by its roots >H equals >H mind Cognitive technology opens vast new regions of mind design space Technology improving intelligence closes the loop - positive feedback! To grasp the future, focus on technologies that impact upon the mind. Eliezer Yudkowsky Singularity Institute for AI

Mind Is All That Matters Eliezer Yudkowsky Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence singinst.org