Legal and Moral Complexities of Artificial General Intelligence

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Legal and Moral Complexities of Artificial
General Intelligence

• Peter Voss
• Adaptive A.I. Inc.

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Topics

• What is AGI, and how does it differ from
  conventional AI?
• Key Uncertainties
• AGI Savior or Mortal Danger?
• Moral Implications
• Legal Implications

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AGI The forgotten science

• Real AI Human-level learning and understanding

Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) Conventional AI




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AGI The forgotten science

• Real AI Human-level learning and understanding

Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) Conventional AI
Focus on acquiring knowledge and skills Focus on having knowledge and skills



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AGI The forgotten science

• Real AI Human-level learning and understanding

Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) Conventional AI
Focus on acquiring knowledge and skills Focus on having knowledge and skills
Acquisition via learning Acquisition via programming


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AGI The forgotten science

• Real AI Human-level learning and understanding

Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) Conventional AI
Focus on acquiring knowledge and skills Focus on having knowledge and skills
Acquisition via learning Acquisition via programming
General ability, using abstraction and context Domain specific, rule-based and concrete

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AGI The forgotten science

• Real AI Human-level learning and understanding

Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) Conventional AI
Focus on acquiring knowledge and skills Focus on having knowledge and skills
Acquisition via learning Acquisition via programming
General ability, using abstraction and context Domain specific, rule-based and concrete
Ongoing cumulative, adaptive, grounded, self-directed learning Relatively fixed abilities. Externally initiated improvements
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Implications of AGI

• Human-level learning and understanding
• Self-aware
• Self-improvement (Ready-to-Learn)
• Seed AI
• Human Augmentation / Integration

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Key Questions

• How soon?
• How powerful? Hard limits to intelligence?
• Will there be a hard take-off?
• Can we put the genie back into the bottle?
• Will it have a mind or agenda of its own?
• Cant we first integrate AGIs into humans?

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AGI Our Savior?

• Do we need AGI to save us from ourselves?
• Dangers of biotech
• Dangers of nanotech
• Dangers of social breakdown

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AGI Our Savior?

• Do we need AGI to save us from ourselves?
• Dangers of biotech
• Dangers of nanotech
• Dangers of social breakdown
• AGI can potentially help by
• - providing tools to prevent disaster
• - protecting us directly (universal policeman)
• - helping to alleviate poverty and suffering
• - making us more moral

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AGI A Mortal Danger?

• What is the real risk
• An AGI with a mind of its own, or one without?

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AGI A Mortal Danger?

• What is the real risk
• An AGI with a mind of its own, or one without?
• Little evidence that AGI will be detrimental to
  humans unless specifically designed to be!
• Original applications or training may have large
  impact (a2i2 vs. military).
• The power of AGI in (the wrong) human hands is a
  bigger concern.
• Mitigating factor AGIs positive moral influence

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Moral ImplicationsAGI Human Interaction

• How should we treat AGIs?
• Will they desire life and liberty? And to
  pursue happiness?
• How will we treat AGIs?
• Will they be moral amplifiers? Make us more what
  we are? Bring out our fears? Our best?
• How will AGIs act towards us?
• Rationally - they better understand consequences
  of their actions. They lack primitive
  evolutionary survival instincts.

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Moral ImplicationsHuman Development and
Integration

• How will AGIs change human morality?
• They will change the world Major impact on law,
  politics, and social justice (The Truth Machine).
  More rationality. Less material poverty and
  desperation. Coping with change.
• Will they help move us up Maslows hierarchy?
• Implications of radical Intelligence Augmentation
• We will be much more like AGI than humans AGI
  thought and morality will dominate.

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Moral ImplicationsRational Ethics

• Rational Personal Ethics
• Principles for Optimal Living
• AGIs will have rational virtues
• AGI as wise oracle / mentor
• AGIs will help us become more virtuous

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Legal Implications

• What are the primary legal issues?
• - To protect humans, or AGIs? (or governments!)
• - Will AGIs want life, power, protection?
• Can the legal system respond fast enough to
  prevent or limit potential risks of AGI?
• Future of the legal system AGI judges? Truth
  based?

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Summary

• AGI is fundamentally different from conventional
  AI
• Human-level AGI may well arrive in 3 to 6 years
• AGI will improve very rapidly beyond this stage
• AGIs are unlikely to have their own agenda
• AGIs are our best hope to protect and improve the
  human condition, and to improve our morality.
• Powerful AGIs will arrive long before significant
  IA
• Legal issues are more likely to center around
  limiting the production or use of AGIs, rather
  than protecting AGIs
• Legal mechanisms will be ineffective

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What to do ?

• Contact me peter_at_optimal.org

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References

• AGI Artificial General Intelligence
• http//adaptiveai.com/faq/index.htm
• http//adaptiveai.com/research/index.htm
• The Truth Machine by James Halperin
• Existential Risks Analyzing Human Extinction
  Scenarios
• http//nickbostrom.com/existential/risks.html
• True Morality Rational Principles for Optimal
  Living
• http//optimal.org/peter/rational_ethics.htm
• Why Machines will become Hyper-Intelligent before
  Humans do
• http//optimal.org/peter/hyperintelligence.htm

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What to do

• Find ways to ensure(?) that AGI technology is
  used in ways that benefit humans
• Create forums for AGI researchers and developers
  to gain a better understanding of crucial issues
  and options to allow us to make better
  decisions.
• Get smart, wise people from outside of the AGI
  community involved in this process