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jakelafort posted an update 3 years ago

Listening to NPR heard a story about the successor to chat GPT. Microsoft’s version-billion invested and an apparent 2001 Space Odyssey leap forward compared to the original language model. If the stories are true it is not just a probability machine. It is reasoning. I won’t bother elaborating in regards to the evidence. I assume this will draw ample media attention.
so assuming arguendo it is as it appears reasoning and not doing something it is simply programmed to do…does it follow that awareness has also emerged?
- Simon Paynton replied 3 years ago
  I think we’ve had automatic theorem provers for a long time. That’s reasoning that humans have a hard time with. Awareness? Surely it would have to have instruments connecting it to the outside world.
  - jakelafort replied 3 years ago
    Simon i think you will be surprised when the story is told. In any event it makes me wonder about consciousness. Biological awareness started with FEELING. Is feeling inextricably linked with consciousness? Obviously it is in biology. Can it arise sans biology as unadulterated thought?
  - Simon Paynton replied 3 years ago
    We could think of feelings or emotions as psychological reactions to threats or opportunities regarding fitness and survival. All the machine has to do is care whether it lives or dies in order to have basic evaluative valence of external stimuli. That’s probably quite easy to program in.
    - jakelafort replied 3 years ago
      
      I assume emotions evolved to enhance survival. But the question of caring whether it lives or dies begs the question as to what are the ingredients to self awareness or consciousness. By feelings i mean sensation and without it i doubt any genesis of consciousness can occur in biology. Whether that is true of AI? No clue. Wouldn’t it be a surprise if thought can come first and perhaps sensation or feelings second?
    - Simon Paynton replied 3 years ago
      
      I think it’s easy enough to simulate emotions with numbers, (just + and -) but the actual feeling of them is something else that requires consciousness as you say. Animals have emotions and even bacteria evaluate the toxicity of their environment and act accordingly. Awareness comes first: then emotions, then rationality is for explaining things to the self and others. What is experience? That’s something for the Buddists.
      
      PopeBeanie replied 3 years ago
      
      On bus to SF right now happens to be a service dog nearby, noticing other people and seemingly avoiding eye contact. These (imo) emotion based behaviors always remind me of how deeply in our minds they evolved. And another “feeling moment” now… Just crossed GG bridge.
- PopeBeanie replied 3 years ago
  I just favorited your comment because it’s worth coming back to if/when I have time. Would you and Simon be ok, btw, if I copy/paste comments here into the Consciousness group? Or can I just link to this thread, which would be my secondary preference?
  
  I believe, going into the future, we MUST design each of our AI creations with a painless OFF switch, that AI never has control over; potentially giving ourselves God-like power of creation requires a lot of introspection, including your question, which goes directly to the heart of who we want ourselves to be, and what we should want to create, exist, and allow to potentially procreate in the universe at large.
  
  Programmed reasoning first, sensations and feelings second? It’s so opposite to how nature created us accidentally.
  - PopeBeanie replied 3 years ago
    I’m sorry if you had trouble trying to respond to me. I deleted and re-edited my reply at least four times, it may have messed up other responses.
  - Simon Paynton replied 3 years ago
    That’s fine by me, @popebeanie.