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Here is my main question: Musk is on record as being concerned about runaway "evil AI." I used to write that off as sci-fi thinking. For one thing, just unplug

Here is my main question: Musk is on record as being concerned about runaway "evil AI." I used to write that off as sci-fi thinking. For one thing, just unplug it. So, let's accept that Musk's concern of evil runaway AI is a real problem. In that case, is there anything more concerning than a distributed solar powered orbital platform for AI inference? Elon Musk appears to be his own nemesis.

circuit10 9mo ago
Aside from anything about Elon Musk, here’s an interesting video response to the “just unplug it” argument on the Compuerphile channel: https://youtu.be/3TYT1QfdfsM https://youtu.be/3TYT1QfdfsM
- consumer451 9mo ago
  Ha, I figured that might be the video prior to clicking it. I am a long time fan. Agreed, when I wrote "just unplug it," this counterargument was present in my mind, but nobody likes a wall of text. However, my original point was that a distributed solar powered orbital inference platform is even worse! Think about how hard it would be to practically take out Starlink... it's really hard. Now.. >1M nodes of a neural net in the sky? Why would someone who lives as a god, the richest man in the world, the only person capable of doing this thanks to his control of SpaceX... do the literal worst thing possible?
  - defrost 9mo ago
    That'd easily take a few LEO detonated fragmentation bombs to trigger a cascading LEO shrapnel field.
    - consumer451 9mo ago
      It's a lot harder than taking out some terrestrial power lines.
      - defrost 9mo ago
        Sure, it'd take obital launch capabilities to lift ... how many bags of metal scrap and explosives?
        consumer451 9mo ago
        tone: I don't really understand orbital mechanics, but I do understand geopolitics a bit. 1. China is very concerned about Starlink-like constellations. They want their own, but mostly they want to be able to destroy competitors. That is really hard. 2. Many countries have single ASAT capabilities. Where one projectile can hit one satellite. However, this is basically shoot a bullet, with a bullet, on different trajectories. 3. > Sure, it'd take orbital launch capabilities to lift ... how many bags of metal scrap and explosives? If I understand orbital mechanics... those clouds of chaff would need to oppose the same orbit, otherwise it is a gentle approach. In the non-aligned orbit, it's another bullet hitting a bullet scenarios as in 2, but with a birdshot shotgun. My entire point is that constellations in LEO take hundreds of Falcon 9's worth of mass to orbit and delta-v to destroy them, as in-orbit grenades which approach gently. This IS REALLY HARD, as far as mass to orbit, all at once! If you blow up some group of Starlink, that chaff cloud will just keep in orbit on the same axis. It will not keep blowing up other Starlinks. The gentle grenade approach was possibly tested by the CCP here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46820992 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46820992
        defrost 9mo ago
        > tone: I don't really understand orbital mechanics, but I do understand geopolitics a bit. Thanks for the clarification, I guess that explains this (from you): > Think about how hard it would be to practically take out Starlink. and this: > My entire point is that constellations in GEO which you've now corrected. Moving on: > My entire point is that constellations in LEO take hundreds of Falcon 9's worth of mass to orbit and delta-v to destroy them, as in-orbit grenades which approach gently. This IS REALLY HARD So let's not do that .. how hard is it to render the entire LEO zone a shit show with contra wise clouds of frag that cause cascading failures? Forget the geopolitics of China et al. .. LEO launch capabilities are spreading about the globe, it's not just major world powers that pose a threat here.
cosmicgadget 9mo ago
He just says stuff to convince people of things that benefit him. Internal consistency was never the plan.
- consumer451 9mo ago
  My point is not to make fun of him, but to help avoid the destruction of humanity via an HN comment. No joke. This is starting to get really serious.
_DeadFred_ 9mo ago
What, creating a huge patchwork of self sufficient AIs, forming their own sky based net, seems bad to you, considering the whole torment nexus/Sky Net connotations? It's not like he's planning to attach it to his giant humanoid robot program. Oh. Ohhhhh. Oh no.

circuit10 9mo ago

Aside from anything about Elon Musk, here’s an interesting video response to the “just unplug it” argument on the Compuerphile channel: https://youtu.be/3TYT1QfdfsM https://youtu.be/3TYT1QfdfsM

consumer451 9mo ago
Ha, I figured that might be the video prior to clicking it. I am a long time fan. Agreed, when I wrote "just unplug it," this counterargument was present in my mind, but nobody likes a wall of text. However, my original point was that a distributed solar powered orbital inference platform is even worse! Think about how hard it would be to practically take out Starlink... it's really hard. Now.. >1M nodes of a neural net in the sky? Why would someone who lives as a god, the richest man in the world, the only person capable of doing this thanks to his control of SpaceX... do the literal worst thing possible?
- defrost 9mo ago
  That'd easily take a few LEO detonated fragmentation bombs to trigger a cascading LEO shrapnel field.
  - consumer451 9mo ago
    It's a lot harder than taking out some terrestrial power lines.
    - defrost 9mo ago
      Sure, it'd take obital launch capabilities to lift ... how many bags of metal scrap and explosives?
      - consumer451 9mo ago
        tone: I don't really understand orbital mechanics, but I do understand geopolitics a bit. 1. China is very concerned about Starlink-like constellations. They want their own, but mostly they want to be able to destroy competitors. That is really hard. 2. Many countries have single ASAT capabilities. Where one projectile can hit one satellite. However, this is basically shoot a bullet, with a bullet, on different trajectories. 3. > Sure, it'd take orbital launch capabilities to lift ... how many bags of metal scrap and explosives? If I understand orbital mechanics... those clouds of chaff would need to oppose the same orbit, otherwise it is a gentle approach. In the non-aligned orbit, it's another bullet hitting a bullet scenarios as in 2, but with a birdshot shotgun. My entire point is that constellations in LEO take hundreds of Falcon 9's worth of mass to orbit and delta-v to destroy them, as in-orbit grenades which approach gently. This IS REALLY HARD, as far as mass to orbit, all at once! If you blow up some group of Starlink, that chaff cloud will just keep in orbit on the same axis. It will not keep blowing up other Starlinks. The gentle grenade approach was possibly tested by the CCP here: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46820992 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46820992
        defrost 9mo ago
        > tone: I don't really understand orbital mechanics, but I do understand geopolitics a bit. Thanks for the clarification, I guess that explains this (from you): > Think about how hard it would be to practically take out Starlink. and this: > My entire point is that constellations in GEO which you've now corrected. Moving on: > My entire point is that constellations in LEO take hundreds of Falcon 9's worth of mass to orbit and delta-v to destroy them, as in-orbit grenades which approach gently. This IS REALLY HARD So let's not do that .. how hard is it to render the entire LEO zone a shit show with contra wise clouds of frag that cause cascading failures? Forget the geopolitics of China et al. .. LEO launch capabilities are spreading about the globe, it's not just major world powers that pose a threat here.

cosmicgadget 9mo ago

He just says stuff to convince people of things that benefit him. Internal consistency was never the plan.

consumer451 9mo ago
My point is not to make fun of him, but to help avoid the destruction of humanity via an HN comment. No joke. This is starting to get really serious.

_DeadFred_ 9mo ago

What, creating a huge patchwork of self sufficient AIs, forming their own sky based net, seems bad to you, considering the whole torment nexus/Sky Net connotations? It's not like he's planning to attach it to his giant humanoid robot program. Oh. Ohhhhh. Oh no.