a GAI with [overwriting its own code with an arbitrary value] as its only goal, for example, why would that be impossible? An AI doesn’t need to value survival.
A GAI with the utility of burning itself? I don’t think that’s viable, no.
I’d be interested in the conclusions derived about “typical” intelligences and the “forbidden actions”, but I don’t see how you have derived them.
At the moment it’s little more than professional intuition. We also lack some necessary shared terminology. Let’s leave it at that until and unless someone formalizes and proves it, and then hopefully blogs about it.
could you clarify your position, please?
I think I’m starting to see the disconnect, and we probably don’t really disagree.
You said:
This sounds unjustifiably broad
My thinking is very broad but, from my perspective, not unjustifiably so. In my research I’m looking for mathematical formulations of intelligence in any form—biological or mechanical.
Taking a narrower viewpoint, humans “in their current form” are subject to different laws of nature than those we expect machines to be subject to. The former use organic chemistry, the latter probably electronics. The former multiply by synthesizing enormous quantities of DNA molecules, the latter could multiply by configuring solid state devices.
Do you count the more restrictive technology by which humans operate as a constraint which artificial agents may be free of?
a GAI with [overwriting its own code with an arbitrary value] as its only goal, for example, why would that be impossible? An AI doesn’t need to value survival.
A GAI with the utility of burning itself? I don’t think that’s viable, no.
What do you mean by “viable”? You think it is impossible due to Godelian concerns for there to be an intelligence that wishes to die?
As a curiosity, this sort of intelligence came up in a discussion I was having on LW recently. Someone said “why would an AI try to maximize its original utility function, instead of switching to a different / easier function?”, to which I responded “why is that the precise level at which the AI would operate, rather than either actually maximizing its utility function or deciding to hell with the whole utility thing and valuing suicide rather than maximizing functions (because it’s easy)”.
But anyway it can’t be that Godelian reasons prevent intelligences from wanting to burn themselves, because people have burned themselves.
I’d be interested in the conclusions derived about “typical” intelligences and the “forbidden actions”, but I don’t see how you have derived them.
At the moment it’s little more than professional intuition. We also lack some necessary shared terminology. Let’s leave it at that until and unless someone formalizes and proves it, and then hopefully blogs about it.
Fair enough, though for what it’s worth I have a fair background in mathematics, theoretical CS, and the like.
could you clarify your position, please?
I think I’m starting to see the disconnect, and we probably don’t really disagree.
You said:
This sounds unjustifiably broad
My thinking is very broad but, from my perspective, not unjustifiably so. In my research I’m looking for mathematical formulations of intelligence in any form—biological or mechanical.
I meant that this was a broad definition of the qualitative restrictions to human self-modification, to the extent that it would be basically impossible for something to have qualitatively different restrictions.
Taking a narrower viewpoint, humans “in their current form” are subject to different laws of nature than those we expect machines to be subject to. The former use organic chemistry, the latter probably electronics. The former multiply by synthesizing enormous quantities of DNA molecules, the latter could multiply by configuring solid state devices.
Do you count the more restrictive technology by which humans operate as a constraint which artificial agents may be free of?
Why not? Though of course it may turn out that AI is best programmed on something unlike our current computer technology.
A GAI with the utility of burning itself? I don’t think that’s viable, no.
What do you mean by “viable”?
Intelligence is expensive. More intelligence costs more to obtain and maintain. But the sentiment around here (and this time I agree) seems to be that intelligence “scales”, i.e. that it doesn’t suffer from diminishing returns in the “middle world” like most other things; hence the singularity.
For that to be true, more intelligence also has to be more rewarding. But not just in the sense of asymptotically approaching optimality. As intelligence increases, it has to constantly find new “revenue streams” for its utility. It must not saturate its utility function, in fact its utility must be insatiable in the “middle world”. A good example is curiosity, which is probably why many biological agents are curious even when it serves no other purpose.
Suicide is not such a utility function. We can increase the degree of intelligence an agent needs to have to successfully kill itself (for example, by keeping the gun away). But in the end, it’s “all or nothing”.
But anyway it can’t be that Godelian reasons prevent intelligences from wanting to burn themselves, because people have burned themselves.
Gödel’s theorem doesn’t prevent any specific thing. In this case I was referring to information-theoretic reasons. And indeed, suicide is not a typical human behavior, even without considering that some contributing factors are irrelevant for our discussion.
Do you count the more restrictive technology by which humans operate as a constraint which artificial agents may be free of?
Why not? Though of course it may turn out that AI is best programmed on something unlike our current computer technology.
In that sense, I completely agree with you. I usually don’t like making the technology distinction, because I believe there’s more important stuff going on in higher levels of abstraction. But if that’s where you’re coming from then I guess we have resolved our differences :)
A GAI with the utility of burning itself? I don’t think that’s viable, no.
At the moment it’s little more than professional intuition. We also lack some necessary shared terminology. Let’s leave it at that until and unless someone formalizes and proves it, and then hopefully blogs about it.
I think I’m starting to see the disconnect, and we probably don’t really disagree.
You said:
My thinking is very broad but, from my perspective, not unjustifiably so. In my research I’m looking for mathematical formulations of intelligence in any form—biological or mechanical.
Taking a narrower viewpoint, humans “in their current form” are subject to different laws of nature than those we expect machines to be subject to. The former use organic chemistry, the latter probably electronics. The former multiply by synthesizing enormous quantities of DNA molecules, the latter could multiply by configuring solid state devices.
Do you count the more restrictive technology by which humans operate as a constraint which artificial agents may be free of?
What do you mean by “viable”? You think it is impossible due to Godelian concerns for there to be an intelligence that wishes to die?
As a curiosity, this sort of intelligence came up in a discussion I was having on LW recently. Someone said “why would an AI try to maximize its original utility function, instead of switching to a different / easier function?”, to which I responded “why is that the precise level at which the AI would operate, rather than either actually maximizing its utility function or deciding to hell with the whole utility thing and valuing suicide rather than maximizing functions (because it’s easy)”.
But anyway it can’t be that Godelian reasons prevent intelligences from wanting to burn themselves, because people have burned themselves.
Fair enough, though for what it’s worth I have a fair background in mathematics, theoretical CS, and the like.
I meant that this was a broad definition of the qualitative restrictions to human self-modification, to the extent that it would be basically impossible for something to have qualitatively different restrictions.
Why not? Though of course it may turn out that AI is best programmed on something unlike our current computer technology.
Intelligence is expensive. More intelligence costs more to obtain and maintain. But the sentiment around here (and this time I agree) seems to be that intelligence “scales”, i.e. that it doesn’t suffer from diminishing returns in the “middle world” like most other things; hence the singularity.
For that to be true, more intelligence also has to be more rewarding. But not just in the sense of asymptotically approaching optimality. As intelligence increases, it has to constantly find new “revenue streams” for its utility. It must not saturate its utility function, in fact its utility must be insatiable in the “middle world”. A good example is curiosity, which is probably why many biological agents are curious even when it serves no other purpose.
Suicide is not such a utility function. We can increase the degree of intelligence an agent needs to have to successfully kill itself (for example, by keeping the gun away). But in the end, it’s “all or nothing”.
Gödel’s theorem doesn’t prevent any specific thing. In this case I was referring to information-theoretic reasons. And indeed, suicide is not a typical human behavior, even without considering that some contributing factors are irrelevant for our discussion.
In that sense, I completely agree with you. I usually don’t like making the technology distinction, because I believe there’s more important stuff going on in higher levels of abstraction. But if that’s where you’re coming from then I guess we have resolved our differences :)