The Technology of Mind and a New Social Contract
Bill Hibbard
http://www.ssec.wisc.edu/~billh/g/Singularity_Notes.html
Technologies of Mind and Life
Progress of biology, neuroscience and computer science leave no doubt that we will have such technologies
These technologies will bring:
Great variance of intelligence
Great variance of values
Indefinite life span
Changing Assumptions for Social Contract
We assume all humans have:
Roughly equal intelligence
Shared values as part of human nature
Limited and equal life spans
Technologies of mind and life will change these
Consequences of changes:
Humans unable to share languages?
Humans have unequal legal rights?
Minds with great power and without compassion
Imbalance Individual Freedom vs Social Cooperation
A New Social Contract
A mind may have greater than human intelligence only if it values the long‑term life satisfaction of all intelligent minds
Weight long-term rather than short-term
Weight unhappiness more than happiness
Constantly relearn to classify humans and their emotions
Only increase own computing resources when net benefit
Count dead people as maximally unhappy
This will require attention to detail
Benefits of New Technologies
Indefinite life span
Spend time with family and friends rather than job
Arts and sciences
The company of super-intelligent minds
These are only extensions of current human aspirations
Politics
Regulated development, rather than ban or total freedom
Collective, democratic control over technology
Social Security
SS Trustees predict falling productivity over next 75 years
Sharing the wealth under 100% unemployment
Intelligent Weapons
Machines deciding life and death of humans
Rule by an elite, without the need for a citizen army
Protecting Children
Answer people's concerns for their children's world
Cannot stop technology, but control it