this post was submitted on 15 May 2024
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Big brain tech dude got yet another clueless take over at HackerNews etc? Here's the place to vent. Orange site, VC foolishness, all welcome.

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[–] frezik@midwest.social 5 points 7 months ago (1 children)

You're right that consciousness and intelligence are not the same. Our language tends to conflate the two.

However, evolution created consciousness over billions of years by emergent factors and no source of specific direction besides being more successful at reproduction. We can likely get there orders of magnitude faster than evolution could. The big problem would be recognizing it for what it is when it's here.

[–] pikesley@mastodon.me.uk 9 points 7 months ago (3 children)

@frezik @HawlSera

> We can likely get there orders of magnitude faster than evolution could

[Citation needed]

[–] Amoeba_Girl@awful.systems 8 points 7 months ago

I mean, assuming it is at all possible (or rather that the problem even means anything), I suppose four billion years is a rather generous deadline.

[–] WolfLink@lemmy.ml 3 points 7 months ago (1 children)

If I practice trying to shoot hoops every day I’m going to get one in a lot sooner than you will just kicking at the ball every time you walk by.

[–] pikesley@mastodon.me.uk 8 points 7 months ago (1 children)

@WolfLink so you're saying there's a measurable correlation between practicing a skill and getting better at it? Amazing

What's this got to do with the Big Averaging Machine?

[–] WolfLink@lemmy.ml -1 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Specifically trying to do something will get it done a lot faster than waiting for it to happen by chance.

[–] pikesley@mastodon.me.uk 5 points 7 months ago (1 children)

@WolfLink and that's how evolution works, is it?

[–] WolfLink@lemmy.ml -1 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Yes it is, in fact. Tiny, random variations, which typically take millions of years to end being a noticeable change.

[–] pikesley@mastodon.me.uk 7 points 7 months ago (1 children)

@WolfLink note how nothing there is "trying" to do anything

[–] WolfLink@lemmy.ml -1 points 7 months ago (1 children)

Exactly my point. I’d expect humans trying to make something will get results on a timescale about a million times faster than evolution.

[–] earthquake@lemm.ee 14 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (1 children)

about a million times faster than evolution

Ah, so you also think intelligent AI is at least 4000 years away.

[–] frezik@midwest.social -4 points 7 months ago

We go orders of magnitude faster than evolution on tons of things. It's not that big of a claim.