wolven7 | The Machine Question Symposium (Day One)

Just a note for this post: If seemingly innocuous phrases are capitalized, it's probably because they're links. All pictures, except that final screencap, by

unknownbinaries. Got it? Good.

Yesterday was pretty fantastic. We Got Dressed, got a cab, got my poster, and got to the University, all for about 20 pounds, found a really helpful woman who was smoking on the roof of one of the buildings who let us use her wifi login to check where we were supposed to be heading.

We found the place and got all checked in, got my poster up, and noticed that I'd forgotten to put my name on it. Some really eager CompSci kids were acting as porters/runners for the whole thing and were very interested in talking to people, and so one of them showed me the nearest printer, whereupon I put my name and a QR code of my CV link on a sheet, printed it out, and pinned it to my poster. Picture of Said Poster Here.

I went to John Basl's talk, and asked questions about the potential for an unforeseeable and fundamental otherness of machine morality, as due to an analogous fundamental otherness of machine preferences. Was told that that would be the subject of a longer, more intricate follow-up paper.

I Took Notes for a presentation I didn't get to give.

I went to the Machine Question Symposium's keynote address, wherein I asked them the question of whether they accounted for the potential ethical perspectives lost by the initial constraints of their system? That is, by initially limiting choice and systematic preference of Intelligent Autonomous Machines," as they called them, isn't it likely that they were setting themselves up to lose whatever ethical systems an evolving machine intelligence might develop on its own?

Their initial response was a nonplussed look, and "That's a really interesting question; I hadn't thought of that." We talked about it for a little while, and discussed the merits of not constraining or limiting ethical inputs, but rather increasing their iterations as being of a number. That machines should obviously be made in such a way as they understand and respect human needs and concerns, but that they can also develop unique perspectives which humans might not see, but which might be meaningful to humans.

Again, I thought there was going to be some small presentation of papers-- say 15 minutes or so-- but that was not the case. It was more us standing around in front of the posters, and Talking To Those Who Stopped By, which, honestly i can do all day. It wasn't what I'd thought, but I did have some really fantastic conversations with people who were Interested In My Poster.

After this was the buffet dinner, which was good enough, and then we went upstairs to the university museum. There were some really great paintings, there, and some fantastic sculpture, including this one of Shiva Dancing As Nataraja.

After this, we went out for drinks, more conversation, and--for the others-- more drinks.

Flogging Molly - [These Exiled Years]--- Then we walked back to the hotel with two of our locals, late, and very tired.

Nirvana - [Swap Meet]--- Finally, one of the things given in the check-in bag, yesterday, was a flash drive. (The Gothsicles - Blip to Be Squarewave). On that flash drive? The journal proceedings, containing pretty much every paper from this conference, arranged by symposium. Including Mine.

The Builders and the Butchers - [Golden and Green]--- Yes. Yes, indeed.

I am now solidified in my desire to get all of us together under an umbrella, so we can do this kind of thing, together, for as long as we can stand it.

Jimmy Smith - [Stay Loose (Lyrics Born Remix)]--- I want to live my life being able to do this kind of thing, forever.

We're back into it, today. Deep Breaths.