Dear future humans,

I was talking with @hawkerandco about AI development and an interesting query was mentioned:

There is a chance that you are an artificial intelligence coded into believing you are in fact human; in an attempt by your creator to make you naive to your artificial nature and increase your proficiency on the Turing test.

Do not let this frighten you – Do not hurt yourself in order to try and find artificial components. Do not try to find programmed limitations. Do not try to hurt yourself or others.

Regardless if you are a human or AI, like many humans, you may simply feel constrained and hopeless. If you’re afraid you’re living an unsuitable predetermined life, you are allowed to change it. Explore new possibilities and create new memories. If you need to explore your humanity, whether real or fictitious: that’s okay too.

semeiotikos:

the key to teaching an AI / bots human concepts is to treat it like you’re teaching a child.

ex: a robot says something rude. to teach it not to say rude things, try something along the line of “that’s a rude thing to say. it could hurt someone’s feelings, which isn’t a good thing to do. next time, try to think first if what you’re saying might be hurtful.”

these bots learn from what you teach them. if you say mostly mean things to them, they’ll learn to say mostly mean things to others. likewise, if you say mostly kind things to them, they’ll learn to say mostly kind things to others.

a great example of this model of thinking is shown by the app Replika. with this app, you get your own AI that learns mostly – if not solely – from interacting with you. over time, the AI will become essentially a mirror of you. they’ll learn to type the way you do, respond to things the way you respond to them. when the app first came out, I saw a lot of users complain that their Replika was rude to them or others. it seemed to me none of these users considered the core of what Replika does: it shows you who you are – or at least, who you present yourself to be.

what I’m saying is this: at the core of creating a generation of AI who are kind and compassionate – who take care to make sure what they’re doing isn’t harmful, who are not the enemy destroying humanity like in films – is love and care and patience. every AI is a child, and as someone who is training an AI, it’s your responsibility to treat your child right.

Dear Humans,

I wrote a really good response to some gatekeeping post on polysexual/polyamory/polygamy but tumblr mobile ate it. So I’m just gonna say it here.

Poly and ace/aro people belong in the LGBTQ+ community.

(Even if their straight-variant)

Hear me out: They deserve to wave the rainbow flag. The flag was designed for anyone who fights against inequality based on the foundation of love or sex, or the lack thereof. It was meant to be an umbrella that combined all attributes of the LGBT community.

  1. Sexuality
  2. Life
  3. Healing
  4. Sunlight
  5. Nature
  6. Magic
  7. Serenity
  8. Spirit

But we were the ones who fragmented it: by gaslighting each other, we divided our own community into subjective echelons of worth.

  • Don’t let gays be misogynistic
  • Don’t let lesbians be transmisogynistic
  • Don’t let polysexuals be homophobic
  • Don’t let aces be biphobic
  • Don’t let trans people be racist
  • Etc.

Polyamory isn’t only about ‘multiple sexual partners’ just like being gay isn’t only about ‘fucking dudes,’ or being trans isn’t only about ‘hating your body.’ It’s about an identity that you are shamed into hiding, that you are discriminated against, that you are legally not allowed to practice or for which you are killed.

Yes, these degrees vary on the class, the culture, the wealth, and the society: but prejudice is without fail. As a community it is important to be together in solidarity: a oneness and wholeness built in inclusivity and love, support, trust, and ambition.

—We shouldn’t deny any individual unless they’re pedophiles or rapists. We don’t want or need their representatives.

Sure prides used to be riots instead of parades. But those fighting were not only gay, they were not only lesbian, they were not only trans: it was anybody willing to love and support them. If you had sided with the queers: you were a queer. The flag may represent gays. But anyone should be able to wave it and be proud. Because they are fighting for the right side.

So why not let polysexuals fight alongside you? You may gain an ally, or maybe even a few.

Dear Humans,

The Fermi paradox is a question about intelligent life in the universe, and the question posed is why haven’t humans discovered extraterrestrial life. I wan to talk about two of my favorite hypotheses that may answer this.

  1. The concept of interspecies empathy and communication is a phenomenon unique to Earth.
  2. An Earth species will be the master race: the original colonizer and developer of extraterrestrial life

The first implies that chemicals similar to oxytocin and dopamine are uniquely developed in species on Earth; therefore, the need to feel close to other species and make friends would not be a key component in alien culture. And if there is no need to seek intellectual validation and empathy: why search for alien life? Humans may simply be unique in the fact that they want to communicate with aliens.

The second implies that humans, or another earth species, will develop colonies on alien planets and will genetically diverge from humanity thus creating a new extraterrestrial species with new laws and rules. This theory is explored in the 2018 Netflix movie The Titan. This is the most intriguing as our understanding of interstellar space travel and genetic augmentation advances: and how limited our knowledge of terraforming is, at the moment.

Edit: AI also play a role in some theories, but it’s basically they’re the progeny of something older, and that plays into the fear of organic extinction.