5 ms·

I thought he was working on AGI? Gave up already?

bgorman 6y ago
Maybe he is testing AGI by seeing if it can pass the turing test for writing device drivers.
yAak 6y ago
I don't feel like this precludes him from working on AGI -- and for him, it seems to be related: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=2110408722526967&id=100006735798590 https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=2110408722...
rozgo 6y ago
The road to AGI is paved with yak shavings.
- solotronics 6y ago
  First I have to have a stable OS. Then I have to make kernel updates to support the kind of process management I want. Then I have to fix the other kernel bugs affecting my update. Then I have to modify the network drivers. Then I have to ... 5 years later what was I even working on in the first place?
  - Scarblac 6y ago
    To make AGI from scratch, first you have to create the universe.
    - dota_fanatic 6y ago
      Not the original source, but better? ;) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSgiXGELjbc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSgiXGELjbc
- usefulcat 6y ago
  That's one of the funniest things I've read on HN.
- type0 6y ago
  But first we need to breed the yaks
- 0xdeadbeefbabe 6y ago
  And walls
ywhjaknskkkw 6y ago
Maybe he is, and that's not really Carmack ;)
cameronfraser 6y ago
Most people who actually work in AI know that AGI being possible is still an IF and IF it is possible, it is centuries or even further away (basically some indeterminate time frame because we don't even know if we're on the right path). The techniques we're using today are likely not going to be applicable to AGI. John Carmack is very smart, but I wouldn't place him on the same pedestal as any of our great historical polymaths and IMO if a single person is going to make any progress in AGI it's going to be someone like Leibniz or Euler.
- jamesjyu 6y ago
  That's an interesting perspective: why do you believe that it will be an individual who will make a breakthrough, as opposed to a web of Carmack-like folks?
  - cameronfraser 6y ago
    I actually don't believe an individual will make a breakthrough, that was more of a if an individual did do it statement. IMO it's actually going to be the result of a lot of methodical work by an army of researchers over a really long period of time.
- marvin 6y ago
  > IF it is possible, it is centuries or even further away Just out of curiosity, would you have been willing to bet that something most people will agree on being AGI will not be developed before 2221 at the earliest? Because given the history of science and technology since 1821, that seems like a statement that's just drawn out of thin air. "I don't know" would make sense. "Definitely not in the next 200 years" does not make much sense.
  - cameronfraser 6y ago
    Sorry, the time frame was arbitrary, I clarified in parens what I intended by that statement (an indeterminate amount of time)
- 6y ago
echelon 6y ago
My dream is to do what Palmer Luckey did - build a successful computer graphics-based startup and then lure John Carmack to be CTO. I've got a snowball's chance in hell of being that successful, but I do envy the fact Palmer was able to hire him. What an incredible hire. Then again, he did have Facebook money. It's cool that he's got the autonomy to pursue AGI after guiding Oculus into a good position.
- deltron3030 6y ago
  Oculus wouldn't have had that buzz without Carmack pushing the original Rift DIY kit before their Kickstarter. He was already commenting on Palmers DIY creations in the community where the ideas for Rift were born. It was more or less a community project, because without community input in those forum threads Palmer woulnd't even had considered glasses, he was deciding between VR glasses and a 3D monitor in his first posts there, and got nudged by a member towards glasses, lol. He just never stopped absorbing information and kept iterating on his franken HMDs and prototypes, and one day when he had already reached a good level Carmack showed up.
- criddell 6y ago
  At this point in Carmack's career, I doubt money is a top three reason for why he takes on a project.

Maybe he is testing AGI by seeing if it can pass the turing test for writing device drivers.

yAak 6y ago

I don't feel like this precludes him from working on AGI -- and for him, it seems to be related: https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=2110408722526967&id=100006735798590 https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=2110408722...

rozgo 6y ago

The road to AGI is paved with yak shavings.

solotronics 6y ago
First I have to have a stable OS. Then I have to make kernel updates to support the kind of process management I want. Then I have to fix the other kernel bugs affecting my update. Then I have to modify the network drivers. Then I have to ... 5 years later what was I even working on in the first place?
- Scarblac 6y ago
  To make AGI from scratch, first you have to create the universe.
  - dota_fanatic 6y ago
    Not the original source, but better? ;) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSgiXGELjbc https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSgiXGELjbc
usefulcat 6y ago
That's one of the funniest things I've read on HN.
type0 6y ago
But first we need to breed the yaks
0xdeadbeefbabe 6y ago
And walls

ywhjaknskkkw 6y ago

Maybe he is, and that's not really Carmack ;)

cameronfraser 6y ago

Most people who actually work in AI know that AGI being possible is still an IF and IF it is possible, it is centuries or even further away (basically some indeterminate time frame because we don't even know if we're on the right path). The techniques we're using today are likely not going to be applicable to AGI. John Carmack is very smart, but I wouldn't place him on the same pedestal as any of our great historical polymaths and IMO if a single person is going to make any progress in AGI it's going to be someone like Leibniz or Euler.

jamesjyu 6y ago
That's an interesting perspective: why do you believe that it will be an individual who will make a breakthrough, as opposed to a web of Carmack-like folks?
- cameronfraser 6y ago
  I actually don't believe an individual will make a breakthrough, that was more of a if an individual did do it statement. IMO it's actually going to be the result of a lot of methodical work by an army of researchers over a really long period of time.
marvin 6y ago
> IF it is possible, it is centuries or even further away Just out of curiosity, would you have been willing to bet that something most people will agree on being AGI will not be developed before 2221 at the earliest? Because given the history of science and technology since 1821, that seems like a statement that's just drawn out of thin air. "I don't know" would make sense. "Definitely not in the next 200 years" does not make much sense.
- cameronfraser 6y ago
  Sorry, the time frame was arbitrary, I clarified in parens what I intended by that statement (an indeterminate amount of time)
6y ago

echelon 6y ago

My dream is to do what Palmer Luckey did - build a successful computer graphics-based startup and then lure John Carmack to be CTO. I've got a snowball's chance in hell of being that successful, but I do envy the fact Palmer was able to hire him. What an incredible hire. Then again, he did have Facebook money. It's cool that he's got the autonomy to pursue AGI after guiding Oculus into a good position.

deltron3030 6y ago
Oculus wouldn't have had that buzz without Carmack pushing the original Rift DIY kit before their Kickstarter. He was already commenting on Palmers DIY creations in the community where the ideas for Rift were born. It was more or less a community project, because without community input in those forum threads Palmer woulnd't even had considered glasses, he was deciding between VR glasses and a 3D monitor in his first posts there, and got nudged by a member towards glasses, lol. He just never stopped absorbing information and kept iterating on his franken HMDs and prototypes, and one day when he had already reached a good level Carmack showed up.
criddell 6y ago
At this point in Carmack's career, I doubt money is a top three reason for why he takes on a project.