EPOCH: A Poetic Psy-Phi Saga – Tech Journal

Are you interested by AI? Do you get pleasure from science fiction? Do you might have an opinion about how AI will affect the human species? Are you passionate about it or apprehensive about it? Or do you suppose you recognize the reply?

Dave Jilk (my first enterprise associate and considered one of my closest pals) just lately revealed EPOCH: A Poetic Psy-Phi Saga.

When Dave described the thought for the ebook he was engaged on throughout an extended hike 4 years in the past up and round Inexperienced Mountain in Boulder, I used to be fascinated with what he had determined to tackle. AI wasn’t entrance of thoughts in the identical method as immediately, however Dave had been doing analysis in that enviornment for round a decade. After we talked about AI, our discussions normally revolved round facets of AGI. I used to be primarily in listening and questioning mode since Dave’s information and ideas rapidly went past my understanding of – properly – all of it.

Dave may have taken his deep understanding of AI, expertise usually, philosophy, and psychology in a number of instructions with an in depth writing undertaking. However yet one more ebook explaining AI or philosophizing (or rhapsodizing) about it might be … boring. And whereas I’m having fun with studying numerous AI-inspired sci-fi, AI is now a routine trope that’s being woven into extra complicated sci-fi.

So, Dave determined to put in writing a poem—a really lengthy poem—an epic poem about AITHER, the primary absolutely human-level synthetic common intelligence. It’s a memoir by AITHER, completely from AITHER’s perspective. As the primary human-level AGI, AITHER muses extensively about id and goal, future selves, the significance of magnificence, the character and ethics of technological progress, cultural affect and hegemony, humanity’s tragic flaws, and existential danger.

There’s additionally a soundtrack as a result of each ebook wants a soundtrack. When you like album-length soundtracks, Dave subsetted a soundtrack for the wireheading scene.

However EPOCH is just not merely an epic poem in regards to the first human-level intelligence AGI. It’s full of allusions to books, poems, songs, tutorial papers, work, and movies. In Dave’s phrases:

“These are usually not merely passing linguistic echoes; typically they join with the purpose made or the subject addressed. As a complete they’re additionally an necessary thematic component of the ebook, and are known as “osculations.”

EPOCH: A Poetic Psy-Phi Saga took Dave 4 years to create. I learn the primary half about two years in the past and the finished draft about 9 months in the past. I bear in mind vividly telling Amy, “Studying this ebook is loads of work, however it’s completely value it.”

If you would like extra of the backstory, take a look at the EPOCH web site.

However know that I strongly advocate you purchase a duplicate of EPOCH: A Poetic Psy-Phi Saga proper now if you’re curious about AI, sci-fi, philosophy, psychology, technological progress, humanity’s tragic flaws, or a incredible work-product from 4 years of effort.