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Stuart Russell warns about the dangers involved in the creation of artificial intelligence. Particularly, artificial general intelligence or AGI.
The idea of an artificial intelligence that might one day surpass human intelligence has been captivating and terrifying us for decades now. The possibility of what it would be like if we had the ability to create a machine that could think like a human, or even surpass us in cognitive abilities is something that many envision. But, as with many novel technologies, there are a few problems with building an AGI. But what if we succeed? What would happen should our quest to create artificial intelligence bear fruit? How do we retain power over entities that are more intelligent than us? The answer, of course, is that nobody knows for sure. But there are some logical conclusions we can draw from examining the nature of intelligence and what kind of entities might be capable of it.

Stuart Russell is a Professor of Computer Science at the University of California at Berkeley, holder of the Smith-Zadeh Chair in Engineering, and Director of the Center for Human-Compatible AI. He outlines the definition of AI, the risks and benefits it poses for the future. According to him, the idea of an AGI is the most important problem to intellectually to work on.

Continue reading “The Day We Give Birth to AGI — Stuart Russell’s Warning About AI” »

Sun erupted with multiple flares in two days, a pace of activity likely to increase over the next three years.

The blobs are in the mantle, the thick layer of hot rock between Earth’s crust and its core. The mantle is solid but slowly flows over long timescales. We know the blobs are there because they slow down waves caused by earthquakes, which suggests the blobs are hotter than their surroundings.

Scientists generally agree the blobs are linked to the movement of tectonic plates at Earth’s surface. However, how the blobs have changed over the course of Earth’s history has puzzled them.

Continue reading “A New Billion-Year History of Earth’s Interior Reveals Colossal ‘Blobs’ Merging and Breaking Apart Like Continents” »

California company Seatrec wants to bring their temperature-harnessing generator technology to underwater gliders.

Level I and Level II charging aren’t hard to understand.

That thing on your garage wall isn’t actually a charger; that and other mysteries explained.

How much fun can you have on a Friday night with nothing but an VR headset?