Superintelligence

Paths, Dangers, Strategies

by Nick Bostrom

Hardcover, 352 pages

English language

Published Jan. 5, 2014 by Oxford University Press.

ISBN:: 978-0-19-967811-2
OCLC Number:: 881706835

(14 reviews)

The human brain has some capabilities that the brains of other animals lack. It is to these distinctive capabilities that our species owes its dominant position. Other animals have stronger muscles or sharper claws, but we have cleverer brains. If machine brains one day come to surpass human brains in general intelligence, then this new superintelligence could become very powerful. As the fate of the gorillas now depends more on us humans than on the gorillas themselves, so the fate of our species then would come to depend on the actions of the machine superintelligence. But we have one advantage: we get to make the first move. Will it be possible to construct a seed AI or otherwise to engineer initial conditions so as to make an intelligence explosion survivable? How could one achieve a controlled detonation? To get closer to an answer to this question, we must make our way through a fascinating landscape of topics and considerations. Read the book and learn about oracles, genies, singletons; about boxing methods, tripwires, and mind crime; about humanity's cosmic endowment and differential technological development; indirect normativity, instrumental convergence, whole brain emulation and technology couplings; Malthusian economics and dystopian evolution; artificial intelligence, and biological cognitive enhancement, and collective intelligence.

5 editions

InfiniteSummaries reviewed Superintelligence by Nick Bostrom

Terminator is a documentary

4 stars

[My review of the 12min summary]

This is a good look at the history and future of artificial intelligence. It is especially concerned with the possible ramifications of superintelligence, which Bostrom defines as "any intellect that greatly exceeds the cognitive performance of humans in virtually all domains of interest."

Once a superintelligent AI is created, will we be able to control it? Not if it's smarter than us. The dystopian futures of science fiction are cautionary tales. We read those books, watch those movies, then rush madly forward developing these AIs anyway. When the robots start their extermination campaign, we won't be able to say that we weren't warned.

Final Notes (quoted from 12min) "Recommended by everyone from Bill Gates to Elon Musk, 'Superintelligence' is a really outstanding book that covers so much ground in its 400 densely populated pages, there are really just a few AI-related books you’ll need …

[My review of the 12min summary]

"Moreover, it is a very timely book on a very timely subject. 'If this book gets the reception that it deserves,' wrote in a review mathematician Olle Haggstorm, "it may turn out the most important alarm bell since Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring" from 1962, or ever.'

"It’s your job to make sure Bostrom’s book will earn this standing."

Moorlock reviewed Superintelligence by Nick Bostrom

Review of 'Superintelligence' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

An excellent overview of a still barely-explored landscape of concerns about runaway artificial intelligence. Bostrom covers many facets of this conundrum in a thorough way -- neither hiding nor hiding behind the uncertainties inevitable to such an investigation.

danwchan reviewed Superintelligence by Nick Bostrom

Review of 'Superintelligence' on 'Goodreads'

4 stars

the idea itself and the implications are very scifi and futurist but the reflection on it seems as much about prediction as it does about the present nature of human society.

sirodoht reviewed Superintelligence by Nick Bostrom

Review of 'Superintelligence' on 'Goodreads'

No rating

Excellent analysis of the types of intelligence. The main point of the book is how we can get to superintelligence and what are the dangers of having greater-than-human artificial intelligence. Although it seems to me superintelligence is very far away, the author seems to believe is nearer.

In comparison to Gödel Escher Bach, another famous book on intelligence, this one is a highly systematic examination on the consequences of super, instead of how intelligence works, which is (part of) the subject of GEB.