Posted on 09/21/2010 6:09:15 AM PDT by LibWhacker
Seth Shostak, a top astronomer at SETI has recently suggested that instead of trying to listen for standard transmissions from advanced alien biological lifeforms like ourselves, we should probably be listening for AI transmissions. This is based on our own experience, we as humans developed radio transmissions only a short while ago, considering the length of time our civilization has been advancing. And if we're any indication of the general route technologically capable life evolves, the galaxy is probably full of sentient AI collectives, not biological lifeforms.
In an interview with the BBC, Dr Shostak said:
"If you look at the timescales for the development of technology, at some point you invent radio and then you go on the air and then we have a chance of finding you," he told BBC News.
"But within a few hundred years of inventing radio - at least if we're any example - you invent thinking machines; we're probably going to do that in this century.
"So you've invented your successors and only for a few hundred years are you... a 'biological' intelligence."
Oh, uh. Goody? Working on that assumption, SETI is now looking beyond just searching for systems that may have a planet with goopy organic mold and intelligence sending out naive radio transmissions. The chance of catching a civilization before it turns into some vast self replicating artificial intelligence robotic borg collective is too high, apparently. Instead, we should train our attention to areas of the galaxy where vast AI colonies would thrive, areas with a vastly plentiful supply of matter and energy, like young stars or even the center of the galaxy.
Of course, this raises a few issues. When searching for biological beings, we imagined finding peace faring advanced species that just wanted to make contact with us. But Russian physicist Alexey Turchin is to warn at the 2010 Humanity+ Summit, that it is more likely such an entity would not be benign, and contact with an AI colony may lead to a human extinction event. "They" may send us a downloadable trojan horse, an intelligent computer virus, which could infect our entire planet's computerized infrastructure. Perhaps a Contact-like blueprint for a computer would be delivered, and the code for it, which will propagate itself, start producing nano-bots, and turn our solar system into a giant array for the vast collective.
Exactly the type that SETI is about to start looking for. Turchin warns that there could be opposing AIs out there competing for control of the galaxy, and says perhaps we should wait until our AI might be able to compete against other galactic AIs to continue our search.
You can read Turchin's book on the subject here.
The S in SETI stands for Scam.
I believe that, if prepared correctly ... we taste like Chicken.
If evolution is true AND not directed in any way but completely follows chance mutations, there is no reason to believe that, even though there may be life on other planets, that life has evolved in the same direction as life on earth. There seems to be an assumption out there that evolution of life will always lead to human-like life or an advanced form of it. If that is true then “chance” evolution is NOT true, rather it must be directed by some outside intelligent force.
“”They” may send us a downloadable trojan horse, an intelligent computer virus, which could infect our entire planet’s computerized infrastructure.”
They already did that. It’s called “Windows.”
What is it with these nutty people who claim to be so smart? First Hawking claims that gravity can create matter out of nothing, now this guy believes that robots/computers form by themselves? Good grief.
Scam Extraterrestrial Intelligence? Hey, I’m all for it. Let’s take ‘em for every Quatloo!
No, no, he’s saying intelligent civilizations inevitably build them. Then the intelligent robots get out of control and take over.
Klatu, Barada, Nikto
Yea, I’d be careful about that. Could be stolen Space Cash.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinewood_Derby_%28South_Park%29
Interesting post. I would add that if CREATION is true, the same conclusion follows.
Accordingly, if either creation or evolution is true, then, most likely, this is it.
(which I think, personally, is very much the case....).
This is laughable. The idea that the hyper-intelligent AI posited would be able to figure out our operating systems and computer architecture from our transmissions is the stuff of SciFi (Jeff Goldblum in 'Independence Day').
So, then Planet X has already lost to the Terminators? Damn that Skynet. Here we are playing 2-D chess and it's already won on the 3-D board. ;-)
I can’t believe no one’s yet bounced a signal off an asteroid for SETI to pick up. Something along the lines of “surrender or else” would do wonders for funding the military and gutting socialist spending.
No, if Creation is true the Creator is free to create life on any number of planets in any form of life He chooses, including life more advanced than humans, life that may have built AI collectives. I would say that if human-like life exists on other planets that is additional proof of a Creator. With Evolution though, one would predict that the life on other planets would be extremely variable with the likelyood of the existence of human-like life quite remote.
He’s watched Terminator and Battlestar Galactica a few too many times. :)
Perhaps I should have said, Biblical Creation. If Biblical Creation is true, then I think you have “this is it” and for profoundly theological reasons, all set forth in Scripture.
But you are quite right. The ONLY way you get to human life on other planets is through some sort of new, non-Biblical religious system. You have to have a religious, creation-based philosophy but without earth/human distinctiveness and you have to build up an entire theology and cosmology to support that. When that is done, you are way outside of all of not only the Biblical tradition, but outside all of the monotheistic traditions here on earth.
Which puts Carl Sagan exactly in his place. He may not like it, but what he is, fundamentally, is a soft-headed religious philosopher. Nothing more.
Sorry, but God is not free to create life on any/every planet in whatever form He decides.
“Then God said, “Let us make man[a] in Our image, after Our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.””
God made man in HIS image - the image of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. That does not mean as a T1000 series, or HAL 9000, or anything else.
True, God doesn’t directly create the AI collective just like He did not directly create the computers you and I are using right now, but other human-like creations He may have placed on other planets might create the AI collectives. God created man in His image, meaning he created a being with self conciousness, intelligence, and the ability to create also. This is no way precludes him putting other human-like (in the image of God) life on other planets that might then build AI collectives.
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