The answer to what the ‘real deal’ is obvious, but fairly disturbing. Games. From the first clever bloke who came up with an algorithm to play a card game aga

The answer to what the ‘real deal’ is obvious, but fairly disturbing. Games. From the first clever bloke who came up with an algorithm to play a card game against himself (ie, Solitaire), to the Mechanical Turk, to Big Blue, the the ghosts in PacMan, the NPC’s in Counterstrike, etc, etc., there is a fascination with making something that can ‘beat’ us. Humans have a need to compete. We’re drawn to the idea of a machine that is so smart and clever that it poses a genuine challenge to our wits. The ‘real deal’ that most have in mind isn’t some virtual assistant that can help you calendar things or write letters. No, the ‘real deal’ is always described in terms of SkyNet or sinister AI overlords, or malicious intelligent robots. I don’t think that stuff is hyperbole. Rather, I think that is precisely what we want… we want something that can destroy us… something, against whom, we can compete with our survival at stake. In short, the ‘real deal’ has been staring us in the face for centuries; we make movies and write books about it… particularly in Sci-Fi. The goal IS SkyNet. The goal IS HAL. Let’s be honest… that’s what we are shooting for — the ultimate competitor that, unlike anything else on this boring planet, has the wits to take us out. Whether it’s bored trailer-trash playing Russian Roullete, or bored Billionaires descending to the Titanic in a jerry-rigged sub, we have a very strong need to make our lives interesting by betting our lives themselves. The purpose of AI is to make a challenger who has the ability to wipe us out, with intent. That’s the ‘real deal.’