#103 – Ben Goertzel: Artificial General Intelligence

62 snips

Jun 22, 2020

Ben Goertzel, Founder of SingularityNET and a pioneer in Artificial General Intelligence, dives deep into the future of AI. He discusses his literary inspirations, including the impact of sci-fi on his journey. Goertzel explores the potential of intelligence beyond human understanding, the philosophical influences of Dostoevsky and Nietzsche, and the ethical dilemmas of AGI. He shares insights on projects like OpenCog and the Sophia robot, and the vision behind decentralized AI systems. The conversation also touches on humanity's journey to Mars and the quest for immortality through technology.

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ANECDOTE

Star Trek Inspiration

Ben Goertzel's initial interest in AI stemmed from watching Star Trek with his father.
The show's diverse alien civilizations sparked his fascination with different cultures and mechanisms.

INSIGHT

Intraparticulate Intelligence

What we perceive as random quantum fluctuations might be thoughts of miniaturized superintelligences.
Our limited understanding prevents us from comprehending the true nature of reality.

ANECDOTE

Family History

Goertzel's family background is three-quarters Eastern European Jewish, with a strong emphasis on learning and understanding the world.
His great-grandparents were socialists and communists who emigrated to New York around World War I.

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The Phenomenon of Science

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