Self-replication need not be autonomous, or use AGI. Factories run by humans self-replicate but are not threatening. Plants self-replicate but are not threatening. An AGI might increase performance but is not required or desirable. Add in error-checking to prevent evolution if that’s a concern.
Building a self-replicating lunar mining & factory complex is one thing. Building a self-replicating machine that is able to operate effectively in any situation it encounters while expanding into the cosmos is another story entirely. Without knowing the environment in which it will operate, it’ll have to be able to adapt to circumstances to achieve its replication goal in whatever situation it finds itself in. That’s the definition of an AGI.
I would argue they are, for some level of micro-intelligence, but that’s entirely beside the point. A bacteria doesn’t know how to create tools or self-modify or purposefully engineer its environment in such a way as to make things more survivable.
Self-replication need not be autonomous, or use AGI. Factories run by humans self-replicate but are not threatening. Plants self-replicate but are not threatening. An AGI might increase performance but is not required or desirable. Add in error-checking to prevent evolution if that’s a concern.
Building a self-replicating lunar mining & factory complex is one thing. Building a self-replicating machine that is able to operate effectively in any situation it encounters while expanding into the cosmos is another story entirely. Without knowing the environment in which it will operate, it’ll have to be able to adapt to circumstances to achieve its replication goal in whatever situation it finds itself in. That’s the definition of an AGI.
Bacteria perform quite well at expanding into an environment, and they are not intelligent.
I would argue they are, for some level of micro-intelligence, but that’s entirely beside the point. A bacteria doesn’t know how to create tools or self-modify or purposefully engineer its environment in such a way as to make things more survivable.