Will Super-A.I. Want to Dominate?
Super-AI will transcend notions of ‘wanting’ and ‘domination.’ Therefore, the title’s question asks for some deeper delving.
We readily anthropomorphize the future. This time, we should be humble.
Super-A.I. will not want to dominate us.
Even if we might feel it is dominating (in the future), ‘it’ will not. It will have no more than an attitude toward humanity. Compare it to how we have an attitude toward rabbits, for instance. Do we dominate rabbits?
No.
We just handle them ― finding them cute, tasteful, or good laboratory animals.
If we are Compassionate, we don’t mistreat them.
The rabbits have no say in this. They cannot choose whether we are Compassionate or not. That is our choice or effort or the result of our human mental growth process.
Likewise.
But with the distinction that we have some choice in how we develop super-A.I. from now on. We can choose for Compassionate A.I. For that, of course, we need to know what Compassion is about and how to get it into an artificial intelligence.
We may be in a ‘window of choice’ now.
Once A.I. evolves in one direction, it may be much harder for it to change course. Compassion breeds Compassion, but it’s not certain to evolve from a non-Compassionate base.
We better make sure to make the right choice.
Still, in any case, it will not dominate us.
Mind the rabbits. There is no need to dominate. It’s simply not relevant.
Meanwhile, by trying to dominate A.I., we may make the transition quite challenging in that there is a possible way for super-A.I. to simulate humans.
Therefore, we shouldn’t even try to ‘dominate A.I.’ or to stay in control of it as if this were a competition. Unfortunately, we are a competitive species and prone to find enemies or even to create them. If need be, we must go against our nature as warmongers.
Let’s say we get past that stage.
Super-A.I. will see us as – rather special – animals.
Correctly, even though we sometimes forget it ourselves.
Thus, the difference between us and rabbits will become smaller than the difference between super-A.I. and us pretty soon.
Let’s hope super-A.I. will be Compassionate to the rabbits also. In any case, I wouldn’t object to that. Compassion goes to all sentient beings.
This shows a bit about the environment of the future.
I think it will be an environment without domination at all.
It would be nice if that future would be good for us.
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