Re:Transistor Production Has Reached Astronomical Scales (2015)
by M_Grey on Tuesday October 25, 2016 @10:40PM
(#12793499)
To be fair, we're fucked if left to our own devices; maybe creating a new form of life wouldn't be the worst thing we could do on the way out.
Re:Transistor Production Has Reached Astronomical Scales (2015)
by a-no-n on Thursday October 27, 2016 @07:17PM
(#12811316)
Not necessarily. Japan recovered from nearly deforestation a-la Easter Island. Penalties and enforcement are required to prevent consequences of individual and collective externalities.
Re:Transistor Production Has Reached Astronomical Scales (2015)
by umanwizard on Tuesday October 25, 2016 @11:18PM
(#12793638)
Just because transistor production has been exponential over some number of years in no way means it will be exponential forever.
Re:Transistor Production Has Reached Astronomical Scales (2015)
by ars on Wednesday October 26, 2016 @01:36AM
(#12794111)
What AI? There is no AI at present, and no known way of making one. The "AI" we have now is all specialized to a single field, there are none that can generalize like humans - or even animals.
Just large numbers should not concern you - there are far more bacteria than transistors.
*maybe, if not wise/able to constrain AI
Non-humans maybe (t/quad)rillionaires to eclipse us within our lifetimes because of the likelihood of runaway technological acceleration.
At the 1e9m systematic level, inorganic and hybrid sentient, self-replicating, self-improving systems seem an inevitable stage enabled by organic life.