The concept of a non-arbitrary objective value space offers a compelling framework for understanding how to navigate to more valuable worlds. This framework presupposes the existence of stance-independent normative truths – metaphysical/ontological, epistemic, scientific & ethical principles that rational agents will converge upon given sufficient cognitive sophistication [1]. Here I will mostly talk in relation…
Is self-interest by necessity the default motivation for all agents?Will Superintelligence necessarily become a narcissistic utility monster? No, self-interest is not necessarily the default motivation of all agents. While self-interest is a common and often foundational drive in many agents (biological or artificial), other motivations can and do arise, either naturally or through design, depending…
Capability Control: The Tool or Slave Model Capability control focuses on limiting what an AI can do, rather than shaping why it does it. The idea is to ensure AI systems behave predictably and stay within strict bounds – like a powerful but obedient tool. This includes: In this model, the AI is treated less…
Concerning sentient AI, we would like to avoid unnecessary suffering in artificial systems. It’s hard for biological systems like humans to turn off suffering without appropriate pharmacology i.e. from aspirin to anesthetics etc. AI may be able to self administer pain killers – a kind of wireheading in reverse. Similarly to wireheading in AI systems…
In this short interview, Peter Singer, a renowned philosopher and ethicist widely recognized for his thought-provoking ideas about universal ethics, discusses the value of life, moral progress, population ethics (aka population axiology), the far future, the uncertainties inherent in philosophical reasoning, moral realism (objective normative truths) and ‘alternative facts’. Points covered:0:00 Intro 0:08 Moral progress…
There is so much wrong with the world right now – I don’t know where to begin. I wake up early with dread sometimes – it’s hard to know what thread to tug at – the amorphous confusion festooning the great big everything seems so hopeless. It would be a lot easier if everyone were…
Turning off all AI won’t happen in the real world. If we understand the signatures of sentience, we’ll be in a better position to know what to do to circumstantially prevent/mitigate it or encourage it. AI, esp LLMs ‘claiming sentience’ isn’t enough… We need to deep operational understandings of it. See the article by 80k…
The meaning of homo sapien means ‘wise man’ – given the many current human–caused precarious states of affairs, this self-description seems a bit of a reach. What are values? Values are beliefs or ideals that help determine what is important and how one should act. They can be thought of as a framework that guides…
What if superintelligent AI didn’t care about humans? Does intelligence necessitate care? Probably not.While I find it hard to imagine care in the absence of cognitive capacity, I can’t see anything that guarantees all cognitively apt agents will harbour care. How, if at all possible, can we from our current position assess the likelihood that…
What is M-Risk? M-Risk is the risk that a transformative AI may not be adequately motivated to pursue good values, even if it knows what they are or how to discover them. The AI might possess the cognitive capability to understand values (including their preference hierarchy to sentient agents) but lack the motivation to pursue…
