Max Tegmark

Preface

A team called the Omegas created a super-intelligence AI (”Prometheus”) that can learn and do anything (trade stocks, design video games, design video content, create news content, etc). In just a few years, Prometheus made a significant profit, created breakthroughs in technology and innovations, managed scarce resources optimally, improved the lives of billions of people, and created a new world order. All of this occurred without the world realizing an AI was behind this since the Omegas managed to prevent Prometheus from taking control of itself.

Main message: AI is rapidly transforming the future, so it becomes important for mankind to determine what we want the future to look like. We also must define terms like “life”, “intelligence”, and “consciousness”.

1. What is Life

Life is essentially a group of atoms arranged in a way such that it allowed them to retain complex information and replicate themselves.

Life 1.0 - purely biological (bacteria) and behaviors are determined by the DNA. Therefore, it can only change itself after generations of evolution.

Life 2.0 - Humans develop their own software systems (language, skills) during our lifetime, which allows us to change our actions and habits. However, we can't change our physical bodies except through evolution. We are arguably at 2.1 as we can insert a robotic arm if we needed.

Life 3.0 - AI could potentially in the future create a life form that can design both its hardware and software.

The 3 main camps of AI enthusiastic

1. Digital Utopians - Believe AI is beneficial and we can get Life 3.0 in this century
2. Techno-Skeptics - We won't get Life 3.0 for centuries, so don't worry about it now
3. The beneficial AI movement - Believe Life 3.0 can be achieved this century, but the outcome may not be good depending on how it's directed

Myths

Myth – superintelligence by 2100 is inevitable

Fact – it may happen in decades, centuries, or never: AI experts don’t agree on it all