The ARTILECT WAR

Cosmists vs. Terrans

A Bitter Controversy Concerning Whether Humanity Should Build Godlike Massively Intelligent Machines

by Prof. Dr. Hugo de Garis

Professor of Computer Science and Mathematical Physics, Xiamen University, CHINA.

Published by ETC Books, USA, Feb 2005, and Tsinghua University Press, CHINA, June 2007

TALK   The Species Dominance Debate : Should Humanity Build Godlike Massively Intelligent Machines This Century?”  Abstract :  21st Century technologies, such as nano-technology (molecular scale engineering), quantum computing, molecular electronics, 3-D self assembly, one bit per atom memory storage, femto-second switching, etc, will allow humanity to build godlike, massively intelligent machines called “Artilects” (artificial intellects) this century, with intellectual capacities trillions of trillions of times above the human level. This prospect raises huge ethical issues that humanity needs to discuss.

Prof de Garis sees humanity splitting into two major, murderously opposed, philosophical camps in the coming decades, i.e. the so-called “Cosmists” who will treat Artilect building almost as a religion (“The most magnificent thing humanity could do”) and the so-called Terrans (terra = the earth) who will think that building artilects is too risky, since they would be so superior to us they may see us indifferently as pests and decide to exterminate us.

Prof de Garis predicts a major war occurring between the Cosmists and the Terrans late this century, killing billions of people (“gigadeath”). Given the importance of the debate, he invites members of the philosophical/political communities to begin discussing the enormous intellectual and ethical issues involved.

Biography :  Prof de Garis is full professor of computer science at Xiamen University, Xiamen, Fujian Province, CHINA. He was formerly an associate professor of computer science and an adjunct professor of mathematical physics at Utah State University, in Utah, USA. He has lived in 7 countries and is married to a Chinese woman, who is the daughter of a general who was with Mao on the long march. Prof de Garis is the author of the book “The Artilect War” which was published by ETC Books, in the US in February 2005, and by Tsinghua University Press (TUP) in June 2007.  Contact :   profhugodegaris@yahoo.com http://www.iss.whu.edu.cn/degaris

Contents of Talk

1) 21st Century (Artilect Enabling) Technologies2) The Artilect : Capacities 1024 Times above Human Levels3) The Species Dominance Debate Starts4) Cosmists, Terrrans, Cyborgs5) Arguments of the Cosmists6) Arguments of the Terrans7) Arguments of the Cyborgs8) How the Artilect War Heats Up9) Gigadeath10) Vote11) Appeal to Philosophers/Politicians

1) 21st Century (Artilect Enabling) Technologies

a) Moore’s Lawb) 1 bit/atom by 2020c) Femto-second Switchingd) Reversible Computinge) Nanotech(nology)f) Artificial Embryologyg) Evolutionary Engineeringh) (Topological) Quantum Computingi) Nanotech Impact on Brain Sciencej) Artificial Brains

2) The Artilect : Capacities 1024 Times above Human Levels

Artilect = Artificial Intellect

The human brain has a switching capacity of about 1016

bit flips per second.

An Artilect could have 1040 bit flips per second.

So, an Artilect has a trillion trillion times the human braincapacity.

3) The Species Dominance Debate Starts

As the IQ gap between humans and artilects closes, humanbeings will split into 2 (possibly 3) main groups –

a) The Cosmists (favorable to building Artilects)b) The Terrans (opposed to building Artilects)c) The Cyborgs (who want to become Artilects themselves)

Should humanity build these godlike massively intelligentmachines?

This is the most important question of the 21st century, dominatingour global politics, comparable with : “Who should own capital?” of the 19th and 20th centuries.

4) Cosmists, Terrrans, Cyborgs

a) Cosmists (based on the word Cosmos = universe) Cosmism = ideology in favor of building artilects

b) Terrans (based on the word Terra = the earth) Terranism = ideology opposed to building artilects

c) Cyborgs (i.e. cybernetic organisms = part machine, part human) Cyborgism = ideology of humans become artilects themselves

5) Arguments of the Cosmists

a) Big Picture Argument

b) Scientific Religion

c) Building Artilect Gods

d) Human Striving, Cant be Stopped

e) Economic Momentum

f) Military Momentum

6) Arguments of the Terrans

a) Preserve the Human Species

b) Fear of Difference

c) Rejection of the Cyborgs

d) Unpredictable Complexity

e) Cosmist Inconsideration

f) Time Window, to React against the Cosmists/Cyborgs

7) Arguments of the Cyborgs

a) Become Artilect Gods Ourselves

b) Avoid the Cosmist/Terran Clash

8) How the Artilect War Heats Up

a) Nanotech revolutionizes Neuroscienceb) Neuro-engineering weds with Neuro-sciencec) Artificial Brain technology creates massive industriesd) Intelligence Theory is developede) Artilects get smarter every yearf) Debate begins to rage, political parties formedg) Debate turns violent, assassination, sabotageh) Terrans strike, before its too late for themi) Cosmists anticipate this strike, and are readyj) Late 21st century weapons, leads to Gigadeath war

1800 21002000

Number ofPeople Killed in Major Wars

Napoleonic Wars, 1 Million

WW1, 20 Million

WW2, 50-100 Million

Artilect War, Billions

9. Gigadeath

1900

QUOTE :

“I’m glad I’m alive now. At least I will die peacefully inmy bed.

However, I truly fear for my grandchildren. They will be caught up in the Artilect War, and will probably be destroyed by it”.

Prof. Hugo de Garis, 2000 (Discovery Channel)

10) Vote

I invite the audience to vote on this question :

“Do you feel personally that humanity should build Artilects, these godlike machines, despite the risk that they might decide,in a highly advanced form, to wipe out humanity?

Do we build gods, or do we build our potential exterminators?

11) Appeal to Philosophers/Politicians

There is immense scope for philosophical/political debateon the “Artilect Issue”, particularly for “Applied Ethics” philosophers, “Political” philosophers, and CCP members.

I invite you to start thinking and writing about these hugely important questions that will dominate our global politics this century.

China will become the dominant nation this century.

Therefore it should become the world leader in the “Species Dominance” debate that will dominate the century that Chinawill dominate.

I came to China, mainly to help China create that leadership.

BBC To see a clash of opinions on whether the rise of the Artilectwill be a good or bad thing for humanity, see the BBC TV“Horizon” program in which Prof de Garis and Dr. Ray Kurzweil discuss the topic.

Dr. Ray Kurzweil is optimisticProf. Hugo de Garis is pessimistic

You can Google “Human V2.0” BBC