In 'Superintelligence', Nick Bostrom explores the future of artificial intelligence and its potential to surpass human intelligence. He delves into the profound implications this could have for humanity's survival and progress. With a blend of philosophical inquiry and rigorous analysis, Bostrom warns of the unforeseen risks associated with creating superintelligent machines. His thought-provoking arguments challenge readers to consider the ethical responsibilities that come with technological advancement. Will we be the masters of our own creations or their unwitting victims?
By Nick Bostrom
Published: 2016
"The future is likely to be dominated by superintelligent entities whose capacities exceed those of all humans combined; understanding and guiding this potential transformation is the key challenge of our era."
The human brain has some capabilities that the brains of other animals lack. It is to these distinctive capabilities that our species owes its dominant position. Other animals have stronger muscles or sharper claws, but we have cleverer brains. If machine brains one day come to surpass human brains in general intelligence, then this new superintelligence could become very powerful. As the fate of the gorillas now depends more on us humans than on the gorillas themselves, so the fate of our species then would come to depend on the actions of the machine superintelligence. But we have one advantage: we get to make the first move. Will it be possible to construct a seed AI or otherwise to engineer initial conditions so as to make an intelligence explosion survivable? How could one achieve a controlled detonation? To get closer to an answer to this question, we must make our way through a fascinating landscape of topics and considerations. Read the book and learn about oracles, genies, singletons; about boxing methods, tripwires, and mind crime; about humanity's cosmic endowment and differential technological development; indirect normativity, instrumental convergence, whole brain emulation and technology couplings; Malthusian economics and dystopian evolution; artificial intelligence, and biological cognitive enhancement, and collective intelligence. This profoundly ambitious and original book picks its way carefully through a vast tract of forbiddingly difficult intellectual terrain. Yet the writing is so lucid that it somehow makes it all seem easy. After an utterly engrossing journey that takes us to the frontiers of thinking about the human condition and the future of intelligent life, we find in Nick Bostrom's work nothing less than a reconceptualization of the essential task of our time.
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“The future is likely to be dominated by superintelligent entities whose capacities exceed those of all humans combined; understanding and guiding this potential transformation is the key challenge of our era.”
Superintelligence
By Nick Bostrom
Discover a world of knowledge through our extensive collection of book summaries.
Nick Bostrom is a Swedish philosopher and founding director of the Future of Humanity Institute at the University of Oxford. He is renowned for his pioneering work in the fields of existential risk, artificial intelligence, and the implications of emerging technologies. Bostrom's notable works include 'Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies' (2014), where he explores the potential future scenarios and ethical considerations surrounding advanced AI, and 'Global Catastrophic Risks' (2013), co-edited with Milan M. Cirkovic, delving into the threats that could pose a risk to civilization. His writing is characterized by rigorous analysis, deep philosophical inquiry, and engaging prose that challenges readers to consider profound questions about humanity's future.
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