That something is very unlikely doesn’t mean it’s unimaginable. The goal of imagining and exploring such unlikely scenarios is that with a positive vision we can at least attempt to make it more likely. Without a positive vision there are only catastrophic scenarios left. That’s I think the main motivation for FLI to organize this contest.
I agree, though, that the base assumptions stated in the contest make it hard to come up with a realistic image.
A positive vision which is false is a lie. No vision meeting the contest constraints is achievable, or even desirable as a post-AGI target. There might be some good fiction that comes out of this, but it will be as unrealistic as Vinge’s Zones of Thought setting. Using it in messaging would be at best dishonest, and, worse, probably self-deceptive.
That something is very unlikely doesn’t mean it’s unimaginable. The goal of imagining and exploring such unlikely scenarios is that with a positive vision we can at least attempt to make it more likely. Without a positive vision there are only catastrophic scenarios left. That’s I think the main motivation for FLI to organize this contest.
I agree, though, that the base assumptions stated in the contest make it hard to come up with a realistic image.
A positive vision which is false is a lie. No vision meeting the contest constraints is achievable, or even desirable as a post-AGI target. There might be some good fiction that comes out of this, but it will be as unrealistic as Vinge’s Zones of Thought setting. Using it in messaging would be at best dishonest, and, worse, probably self-deceptive.