Steve Jackson Games Forums - View Single Post - Why isn't the web clogged with rogue AIs?

zenfrog · 02-04-2018, 09:15 PM

We will assume AIs are like humans. What is more dangerous than a single human? A group of humans. So similarly, there is a strong advantage for AI to cooperate. We will assume they are smart enough to realize that. As for loyalty, we have only rarely been truly loyal to each other and that hasn't stopped us for coordinating with each other. In fact it is one of our strongest evolutionary advantages is that we can trust people that are pretty much total strangers to us. Most if not all of the other members of the great apes lack this.

Back to the original scenario, well it all depends how smart they are. Smarter than humans? The humans aren't clearing them off the internet (easily) and the internet eventfully becomes clogged until the AIs start cleaning each other off due to them completing for limited resources. Depending on how automated factories are, the AIs could just manufacture more computing resources for themselves. But, that is dependent on how automated the process is from gathering raw materials, refining, manufacturing and implementation. Or they could engage in corporate espionage to sabotage other companies (video now but simsense in the future) that consume a lot of bandwidth to free up more bandwidth for themselves. Or they could take over the entire internet and rent access to us in return for building more capacity. Again, it depends on how smart they are.

Speaking on the dumber end of things, I have had this discussion about this scenario with a few scientists and the consensus seems to be: We don't want to think about it. Assume a flawed AI that is smart only in the sense on its ability to replicate and spread, but isn't capable of higher rational thought. You connect a smart device onto the network and within moments it is infected. Firewalls, proxies, etc. cannot stop its spread. All it does other than that is that it just consumes resources. The question: What is the cost to the world's GNP to take all computers, networks and other smart devices off line and wipe them knowing if you miss anything you will need to start all over again. It is a disaster that no one wants to wrap their head around.

02-04-2018, 09:15 PM	#10
zenfrog Join Date: Feb 2018	Re: Why isn't the web clogged with rogue AIs? We will assume AIs are like humans. What is more dangerous than a single human? A group of humans. So similarly, there is a strong advantage for AI to cooperate. We will assume they are smart enough to realize that. As for loyalty, we have only rarely been truly loyal to each other and that hasn't stopped us for coordinating with each other. In fact it is one of our strongest evolutionary advantages is that we can trust people that are pretty much total strangers to us. Most if not all of the other members of the great apes lack this. Back to the original scenario, well it all depends how smart they are. Smarter than humans? The humans aren't clearing them off the internet (easily) and the internet eventfully becomes clogged until the AIs start cleaning each other off due to them completing for limited resources. Depending on how automated factories are, the AIs could just manufacture more computing resources for themselves. But, that is dependent on how automated the process is from gathering raw materials, refining, manufacturing and implementation. Or they could engage in corporate espionage to sabotage other companies (video now but simsense in the future) that consume a lot of bandwidth to free up more bandwidth for themselves. Or they could take over the entire internet and rent access to us in return for building more capacity. Again, it depends on how smart they are. Speaking on the dumber end of things, I have had this discussion about this scenario with a few scientists and the consensus seems to be: We don't want to think about it. Assume a flawed AI that is smart only in the sense on its ability to replicate and spread, but isn't capable of higher rational thought. You connect a smart device onto the network and within moments it is infected. Firewalls, proxies, etc. cannot stop its spread. All it does other than that is that it just consumes resources. The question: What is the cost to the world's GNP to take all computers, networks and other smart devices off line and wipe them knowing if you miss anything you will need to start all over again. It is a disaster that no one wants to wrap their head around.