tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post3048133243491319552..comments2024-03-28T21:32:26.550+00:00Comments on Bruce Charlton's Notions: Any real-life Matrix could Not be Only computers - but would Always require BeingsBruce Charltonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09615189090601688535noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4683970826895755480.post-91676954983657519652018-10-10T19:09:32.983+01:002018-10-10T19:09:32.983+01:00Well, and the point of the Matrix was that some be...Well, and the <i>point</i> of the Matrix was that some beings were used as slaves by other beings. The AI's of the original story were basically humans (or even demons) in that they had motives and needs, as well as darkly irrational impulses.<br /><br />This is what is <i>meant</i> by "strong AI", it is not AI as we have come to understand it, an orderly collection of finite state machine algorithms operating in polynomial fashion. In the original understanding of the term "artificial <i>intelligence</i>", current AI is <i>not</i> AI at all, it does not have the ability to generalize and solve non-polynomial problems (or to approach a polynomial problem from a non-polynomial perspective). Futurists have varied in their hopes and fears for what a genuine AI would be, recently the vogue has been fear. But the truth is simply that, for all that we have lost control of technology, it has <i>not</i> gained control of itself, nor can it do so before our current civilization degrades too far to advance significantly on the problem of making a machine actually <i>aware</i>.<br /><br />Modernity may be trending towards a centralized bureaucracy, but centralized bureaucracy tends towards dysfunction and collapse. Part of this is the nature of the demonic, which is inherently deceptive and destructive. Part of it is simply the human aspect, humans (even bureaucrats) do not live for the system, they set up and modify the system to suit their own needs. The system of itself can have no power to restrain such, the balance always has to be maintained by competing interest groups that challenge each alteration of the system to be justified in how it serves more than the narrow interests of the career bureaucrats.<br /><br />But as bureaucracy passes the point at which anyone other than specialists can really understand the arcane details of organization and operation, all the competing interest groups are neatly removed from having any effectual voice in how the system is altered, only career bureaucrats can understand the practical outcome of the changes being considered, and thus only the interests of career bureaucrats are influential in motivating (or preventing) changes. But what is 'good' for the career bureaucrats is ultimately <i>bad</i> for the legitimacy and effectiveness of the system.<br /><br />Because the other secret of the Matrix is that the <i>cooperation</i> of the slaves is essential. When they perceive that they are deceived, they can cease to support the system, causing it to fail.Chiu ChunLinghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03519192610708043962noreply@blogger.com