Reflection on John Harris’s “Enhancement Are a Moral Obligation”
I’ve gotten my hands on a new copy of Human Enhancement, edited by Julian Avulescu and Nick Bostrom, and the first article I chose to delve into was titled: “Enhancements…
It’s no wonder all the money is flooding into AGI.
It will be no mystery when even more of the money in the world is hurled into explicit building or controlling AGI.
Why?
Because AGI is what money wishes it was.
Money is power (potentia) when the humans involves have agreed to use that currency as a medium of exchange. AGI needs no such permission – it represents agency and possibilities beyond what cooperating humans can marshal. Lets compare the two:
Money is power, or – more accurately – a kind of liquid potentia.
It is the power to enact one’s values, preferences, or will.
With enough raw cash, you can acquire:
But money doesn’t turn into these things by magic.
Money “works” when humans agree to a medium of exchange and act in accordance with that shared understanding of value.
At some point single-celled organisms figured out ways to communicate with other cells, and to organize and coordinate in new and magnificent ways – and in many ways the innovation of “money” allowed for the same among humans.
AGI is what money wishes it was.
If it be AGI at all (and not merely a tool for a specific job), then it is pure agency, pure power, without any necessary agreement between hominids.
Money is potentia enacted by other humans who share an agreement.
Here’s a way to think about it:
All money will eventually flow to the creation or control of AGI because:
This is all downstream of the Ambition Singularity, and its resulting Financial Singularity.
Ambition Singularity hypothesis:
“At some point in the 21st century, over 90% of the most ambitious persons on Earth will be working directly or indirectly to either create or control AGI/post-human intelligence.”
Financial Singularity hypothesis:
“At some point in the 21st century, over 50% of all capital in first world economies will be allocated directly or indirectly to either creating or controlling AGI/post-human intelligence.”
With the ultimate power within grasp, transformation. Totally pausing AGI and technological development is impossible. Posthumanism is well underway already.
Freezing life in the year 2025 is not an option. Maintaining the human form is not possible. The eternal hominid kingdom is not on the table.
There are only four long-term viable futures for humanity:
We must aim to ensure that what is birthed beyond us is a Worthy Successor.
For us the bell already tolls.
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