If Elon Musk could ask a superintelligent AI one question.. it would be “What’s outside our simulation?”.
A few thoughts on this..
- How would this AI know? If we can’t figure it out.. why could they? It would just be another bit of software stuck inside the simulation. What new information would they bring to the table and where would they get it from?
- It’s only until very recent human history that people ceased to believe in the “outside” of our reality. It’s one of the old human beliefs.. “pre-historic” humans were buried with their stuff so they would have it when they get “outside” of our reality. Apparently, we are back to believing in an reality outside of our own.
- When someone claimed to have come from the outside showed up, humans “killed” him, and then he showed up again. A good percentage of humanity still believes this (and will soon celebrate the occasion (Easter)). Maybe this belief just needs to be reframed for Elon in a way he can understand? If this happened today.. and this being from the outside said you need to submit to their will (forgetting the whole “love” part).. wouldn’t we kill them as well? Elon has said before that he doesn’t want to answer to any superintelligence.. but also seems resigned to the fact that we probably won’t have any choice. I don’t think we do, so it’s probably better to submit yourself to the outsider that genuinely seems to care about humanity.. rather then trying to build one in our image.