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Yuanming Yuan – China, Artificial Intelligence, and the Present Weakness of America
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Yuanming Yuan – China, Artificial Intelligence, and the Present Weakness of America

During the Second Opium War, in 1860, a combined force of French and British troops trampled Old Summer Palace (known in Chinese as Yuanming Yuan 圆明园; 圓明園) on their way…

AI Value Alignment isn’t a Problem if We Don’t Coexist
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AI Value Alignment isn’t a Problem if We Don’t Coexist

The AI value alignment argument goes something like this: As artificial intelligence will continue to approach human-level intelligence Artificial intelligence will generally be driven by a reward function, by a…

Substrate Monopoly – The Future of Power in a Virtual and Intelligent World
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Substrate Monopoly – The Future of Power in a Virtual and Intelligent World

The substrate monopoly hypothesis: In the remaining part of the 21st century, all competition between the world’s most powerful nations or organizations (whether economic competition, political competition, or military conflict)…

Lotus Eaters vs World Eaters – A Fork in the Road in the Transhuman Transition
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Lotus Eaters vs World Eaters – A Fork in the Road in the Transhuman Transition

Human nature has always been to gain control over the physical world — both in maximizing its output for our benefit (farming, mining, etc), and in lessening the risks it…

What Black Mirror’s San Junipero Got Right and Wrong
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What Black Mirror’s San Junipero Got Right and Wrong

I’ve been cajoled into watching Netflix’s Black Mirror, and a friend of mine recommended watching the San Junipero episode next. As I mentioned in my last Black Morror reflection, and I…