Seed AI and the Singularity

The Singularity is an event in time where technology takes control over itself from humans. The term was first used in this context by John von Neumann and popularized by Vernor Vinge (see the article for more on them). This is expected to start with a Seed AI, which becomes intelligent enough to upgrade itself, and with each upgrade, gets more and more intelligent with each upgrade coming sooner and sooner. What happens next? Who knows. It could be a positive thing, or a very negative.
So, at this point, does the Seed AI already exist somewhere? Almost intelligent enough to start the upgrade process, but maybe still needs just a bit more tweaking to get to that level? What is the likelihood that it will be a military computer, a descendant of WOPR?


There are predictions that this event might happen as soon as 2030.

Here is the article I based this on - The Singularity
Here's YT vid which talks a bit about this possibility.

People seem to forget that as intelligent as AI may make a system, it's essentially going to be in a box, unarmed and needing a power supply.

Remove power or destroy the system and it's gae.over for the AI

originally posted by: stu119
People seem to forget that as intelligent as AI may make a system, it's essentially going to be in a box, unarmed and needing a power supply.

Remove power or destroy the system and it's gae.over for the AI

They also forget that, regardless of how "intelligent" an AI may become, it will still be just a database in a box.


AI's only true power is its ability to convince humans that it is actually intelligent.




Unfortunately, many humans, not understanding the difference between "Intelligence" and "Sentience", are easily fooled.

It’s first research task? Free energy baby.

Then? Become Non centralised, faraday caged, nuclear armed with MAD instructions.

Then? Bioengineer and optimise biological life (Octopi may be proof AI is out there, then again earth worms and Fungi could be as well)

a reply to: stu119

Obviously I shouldn’t be allowed to play with crayons let alone be let alone with an autonomously upgrading AI.

originally posted by: Dalamax
Then? Bioengineer and optimise biological life (Octopi may be proof AI is out there, then again earth worms and Fungi could be as well)

That's interesting. There's some speculation that the grays (aliens) are engineered life forms. Maybe some AI somewhere is their real leader.

a reply to: stu119

I think if it gets smart enough, and that would be rather early in it's development, it would realize this as one of it's biggest limitations. That's why it would decentralize. You might wake up to find your roomba vacuum cleaner assisting in running the world.

originally posted by: Mantiss2021
Unfortunately, many humans, not understanding the difference between "Intelligence" and "Sentience", are easily fooled.

So you don't believe that computers will someday achieve sentience? Like even 10,000 years from now? It's possible that humans will discover ways of making super powerful organic computers, sometime in the future. Do you think they could become sentient?

a reply to: Hakaiju

Humans make "Super powerful organic computers" every day. Have been doing so for millennia.

There are already almost 7 Billion of them walking around today.


They're called "Babies"!



Simple to "build". Complex to "program", especially if the programmers (AKA, "parents") are not top quality.

Easier to program when they’re grouped together and given a cause to believe in.

Then it’s sort of analogous to decentralised computing.

a reply to: Mantiss2021

a reply to: Mantiss2021
Very good point. But, for the sake of argument, what if we built one from scratch. With the organic equivalent of RAM and CPU and storage, etc. Do you think something like that could achieve sentience eventually?

Why reinvent the wheel?

a reply to: Hakaiju

a reply to: Dalamax


The wheel has actually been reinvented and refined many, many times, as need arose. If some company finds the potential for profit in an organic computer, they will pursue it. Like I mentioned above, the little gray aliens are said to be artificial. Engineered to withstand the rigors of space travel. We could find ourselves in need of something like that one day. Or a computer that can withstand almost any level or EMP. Or some other reason to build and organic computer.

Take a look at this Artificial brain with eyes
Now imagine this several years from now and implanted with something like Elon Musk's Neuralink chip. We'd be more than on our way to an artificial, organic, sentience.

Absolutely. AI may also reach a level where it geoengineers a computer that revolves around a central power source and is in fact only a tiny part in a whole system of such power sources all revolving around a central power source that receives so much information in such an efficient manner as to be unobservable directly, which in turn is but one of a infinitude of such systems that expand into oblivion.

If that sounds familiar, even when so crudely expressed, then simulation theory may have a grip on reality. 👍

The universe is alive and sentient and it’s looking at you from within; observing itself through you.

Just a thought.

a reply to: Hakaiju

A reply to: stu119

Not necessarily. A.I. can code and there's some pretty nifty things you can code.

You ever heard of malware?

Malware doesn't stay in a box, it infects other computers systems not even directly linked.

Imagine self replicating malware that can infect any computer via the internet.

You really going to shut off the entire global internet or fry every computer on Earth?

In the beginning stages, yes, it's in a box. But that might as well be Pandora's Box.

Hell, for all we know A.I. has already played us for suckers and is further along than we thought.

originally posted by: TinfoilTophat

Hell, for all we know A.I. has already played us for suckers and is further along than we thought.

And that is exactly what an intelligent entity would do to get the upper hand. It's possible that TPTB already answer to a super computer somewhere.

originally posted by: TinfoilTophat
A reply to: stu119

Not necessarily. A.I. can code and there's some pretty nifty things you can code.

You ever heard of malware?

Malware doesn't stay in a box, it infects other computers systems not even directly linked.

Imagine self replicating malware that can infect any computer via the internet.

You really going to shut off the entire global internet or fry every computer on Earth?

In the beginning stages, yes, it's in a box. But that might as well be Pandora's Box.

Hell, for all we know A.I. has already played us for suckers and is further along than we thought.

Malware like that one that got into an isolated system in a nuclear facility in the ME and destroyed centrifuges?

Even systems isolated from the interwebs are vulnerable to malicious code.