If the problem is Kurzweil’s mesage than it probably doesn’t help SIAI’s brand that he’s listed second.
Anecdotally, I’d say you’re absolutely right and that SIAI’s prospects could be substantially improved by jettisoning the term “singularity”. I’m someone who SIAI should want to target as a supporter, and I’ve mostly come around but the term singularity just radiates bad juju for me. I think I’m going to apply for a visiting fellow spot but frankly, I’m not especially comfortable telling friends and family that I’m planning to work at a place called the Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence and not get paid for it (I’m hoping they don’t have the same reaction to the word that I did). I suspect I would have been more supportive earlier if SIAI had been called something else.
I concur. Whenever I describe what I would be doing if I volunteered for SIAI, I avoid mentioning its name entirely and just say that they deal in “robotics” (which I tend to use instead of AI) at the “theoretical level” and that they want to bring to the “level of human intelligence” and that they study “risks to humanity”.
Of course, this is all “counting chickens ’fore they’re hatched” at this point, because I haven’t sent my email/CV to Anna Salamon yet...
If the problem is Kurzweil’s mesage than it probably doesn’t help SIAI’s brand that he’s listed second.
Anecdotally, I’d say you’re absolutely right and that SIAI’s prospects could be substantially improved by jettisoning the term “singularity”. I’m someone who SIAI should want to target as a supporter, and I’ve mostly come around but the term singularity just radiates bad juju for me. I think I’m going to apply for a visiting fellow spot but frankly, I’m not especially comfortable telling friends and family that I’m planning to work at a place called the Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence and not get paid for it (I’m hoping they don’t have the same reaction to the word that I did). I suspect I would have been more supportive earlier if SIAI had been called something else.
I concur. Whenever I describe what I would be doing if I volunteered for SIAI, I avoid mentioning its name entirely and just say that they deal in “robotics” (which I tend to use instead of AI) at the “theoretical level” and that they want to bring to the “level of human intelligence” and that they study “risks to humanity”.
Of course, this is all “counting chickens ’fore they’re hatched” at this point, because I haven’t sent my email/CV to Anna Salamon yet...
Ah, go on Silas. I’m especially sure Alicorn will be delighted to meet you at the SIAI Benton house ;-)