4 ms·

Seeing as Peter Norvig is already Director of Research, Schmidt is probably already doing exactly what I'd go for as CEO of Google: Push hard in developing AI.

by cryptoz 16y ago

Seeing as Peter Norvig is already Director of Research, Schmidt is probably already doing exactly what I'd go for as CEO of Google: Push hard in developing AI. Seriously. Focus on ML and NLP, use their vast resources of data and computing power and really smart engineers. It'll take years, maybe decades but of course this goal is worth it.

user24 16y ago
why?
- jerf 16y ago
  The profit potential of owning the first AI is hard to put an upper bound on.
  - nostrademons 16y ago
    Until the machines become self-aware, realize they're being ripped off, and either launch nuclear missiles at us or imprison us in gooey energy pods while they implant false hallucinations into our consciousness. ;-)
    - pavs 16y ago
      How do you know your current reality isn't implanted?
      - jerf 16y ago
        That's the rhetorical equivalent of winning a debate contest by detonating a nuclear weapon. Yeah, you win... sort of.
        mburns 16y ago
        as opposed to speculative fear-mongering?
  - user24 16y ago
    define AI.
  - endtime 16y ago
    There are a few things wrong with this sentiment: * The risk of interacting with the first AGI is even harder to put an upper bound on. You might destroy the human race. * Statistical NLP and ML might be useful "addons" to an AGI but they're unlikely to lead to its creation on their own. * Google has a lot of really smart engineers and computer scientists, but AGI is neither an engineering nor a CS problem.
    - jerf 16y ago
      "AI is hard" is part of the reason why the profit potential is hard to bound; if it were easy it would also be very easy to assess the profit potential: It would hardly be profitable at all, it would simply be the economic baseline. And I don't see how "it's dangerous" contradicts "it's hard to bound the profit" either.
      - endtime 16y ago
        I don't think I said anywhere that Google shouldn't do it because it's hard. I said they shouldn't do it because it's dangerous and because it's not the kind of problem they know how to solve.
bhiggins 16y ago
that's boring. check this out: http://www.nature.com/news/2010/101014/full/news.2010.541.html http://www.nature.com/news/2010/101014/full/news.2010.541.ht...
Matt_Cutts 16y ago
It's fair to say we have a lot of people working on AI-related projects. AI can be hard though. I'd love to hear other HN thoughts on products we should be doing.
- wyclif 16y ago
  Matt, here's a tiny, easily accomplished (by Google) project that would give me and my friends serious joy-- we were discussing this today: How about an app that lets Google Books fans read on an iPad or on Android that doesn't involve looking at HTML rendering and/or converting files to ePub?
  - Matt_Cutts 16y ago
    I'll certainly pass this feedback on--thanks.
- pavs 16y ago
  Matt. I would love to see Google do some full scale investment in Accredited Online Higher Education. I know Google made Donations to Khan Academy. But in my view Khan Academy solves (at least in its current format) only somewhat partial problem. There is a huge potential on what can be achieved in Online Education. Hypothetical Online Google University can: - Liberate Higher Education from the grasp of the lucky few. - Anyone can spend any amount of time to learn on a subject/class/course online, wake up the next morning walk up to an "Exam Center" and give exam to pass the course (with a reasonable fee). - "Socialize" education in the sense that teachers and students from all over the world can communicate in "forum/chat/discussion" to help each other to study and learn. - Ability to setup "meetups" to form study groups IRL. - Study materials can be wiki-fied. With only verified expert on the field can contribute, with diffs to see what has been recently changed. No more waiting for book revisions. I know there are some genuine limitations to this concept and some problems to be solved, before it can be viable replacement of what can only be classified as "clusterfuck" that is the present education system. But if any company can help the ball rolling, I honestly believe Google can be the only one. If I had the money I would drop everything I have today and jump in to this. We need to liberate higher education from its artificial barriers. Hopefully, you will read this and take this in to consideration and discuss it with whoever is concerned.

by cryptoz 16y ago

user24 16y ago

why?

jerf 16y ago
The profit potential of owning the first AI is hard to put an upper bound on.
- nostrademons 16y ago
  Until the machines become self-aware, realize they're being ripped off, and either launch nuclear missiles at us or imprison us in gooey energy pods while they implant false hallucinations into our consciousness. ;-)
  - pavs 16y ago
    How do you know your current reality isn't implanted?
    - jerf 16y ago
      That's the rhetorical equivalent of winning a debate contest by detonating a nuclear weapon. Yeah, you win... sort of.
      - mburns 16y ago
        as opposed to speculative fear-mongering?
- user24 16y ago
  define AI.
- endtime 16y ago
  There are a few things wrong with this sentiment: * The risk of interacting with the first AGI is even harder to put an upper bound on. You might destroy the human race. * Statistical NLP and ML might be useful "addons" to an AGI but they're unlikely to lead to its creation on their own. * Google has a lot of really smart engineers and computer scientists, but AGI is neither an engineering nor a CS problem.
  - jerf 16y ago
    "AI is hard" is part of the reason why the profit potential is hard to bound; if it were easy it would also be very easy to assess the profit potential: It would hardly be profitable at all, it would simply be the economic baseline. And I don't see how "it's dangerous" contradicts "it's hard to bound the profit" either.
    - endtime 16y ago
      I don't think I said anywhere that Google shouldn't do it because it's hard. I said they shouldn't do it because it's dangerous and because it's not the kind of problem they know how to solve.

bhiggins 16y ago

that's boring. check this out: http://www.nature.com/news/2010/101014/full/news.2010.541.html http://www.nature.com/news/2010/101014/full/news.2010.541.ht...

Matt_Cutts 16y ago

It's fair to say we have a lot of people working on AI-related projects. AI can be hard though. I'd love to hear other HN thoughts on products we should be doing.

wyclif 16y ago
Matt, here's a tiny, easily accomplished (by Google) project that would give me and my friends serious joy-- we were discussing this today: How about an app that lets Google Books fans read on an iPad or on Android that doesn't involve looking at HTML rendering and/or converting files to ePub?
- Matt_Cutts 16y ago
  I'll certainly pass this feedback on--thanks.
pavs 16y ago
Matt. I would love to see Google do some full scale investment in Accredited Online Higher Education. I know Google made Donations to Khan Academy. But in my view Khan Academy solves (at least in its current format) only somewhat partial problem. There is a huge potential on what can be achieved in Online Education. Hypothetical Online Google University can: - Liberate Higher Education from the grasp of the lucky few. - Anyone can spend any amount of time to learn on a subject/class/course online, wake up the next morning walk up to an "Exam Center" and give exam to pass the course (with a reasonable fee). - "Socialize" education in the sense that teachers and students from all over the world can communicate in "forum/chat/discussion" to help each other to study and learn. - Ability to setup "meetups" to form study groups IRL. - Study materials can be wiki-fied. With only verified expert on the field can contribute, with diffs to see what has been recently changed. No more waiting for book revisions. I know there are some genuine limitations to this concept and some problems to be solved, before it can be viable replacement of what can only be classified as "clusterfuck" that is the present education system. But if any company can help the ball rolling, I honestly believe Google can be the only one. If I had the money I would drop everything I have today and jump in to this. We need to liberate higher education from its artificial barriers. Hopefully, you will read this and take this in to consideration and discuss it with whoever is concerned.