The Technology of Mind and a New Social Contract

Bill Hibbard

http://www.ssec.wisc.edu/~billh/g/Singularity_Notes.html

Technologies of Mind and Life

Progress of biology, neuroscience and computer science leave no doubt that we will have such technologies

These technologies will bring:

Great variance of intelligence

Great variance of values

Indefinite life span

Changing Assumptions for Social Contract

We assume all humans have:

Roughly equal intelligence

Shared values as part of human nature

Limited and equal life spans

Technologies of mind and life will change these

Consequences of changes:

Humans unable to share languages?

Humans have unequal legal rights?

Minds with great power and without compassion

Imbalance Individual Freedom vs Social Cooperation

A New Social Contract

A mind may have greater than human intelligence only if it values the long‑term life satisfaction of all intelligent minds

Weight long-term rather than short-term

Weight unhappiness more than happiness

Constantly relearn to classify humans and their emotions

Only increase own computing resources when net benefit

Count dead people as maximally unhappy

This will require attention to detail

Benefits of New Technologies

Indefinite life span

Spend time with family and friends rather than job

Arts and sciences

The company of super-intelligent minds

These are only extensions of current human aspirations

Politics

Regulated development, rather than ban or total freedom

Collective, democratic control over technology

Social Security

SS Trustees predict falling productivity over next 75 years

Sharing the wealth under 100% unemployment

Intelligent Weapons

Machines deciding life and death of humans

Rule by an elite, without the need for a citizen army

Protecting Children

Answer people's concerns for their children's world

Cannot stop technology, but control it