EPOCH: A Poetic Psy-Phi Saga – Melissas Meals Freedom

Are you interested by AI? Do you take pleasure in science fiction? Do you will have an opinion about how AI will affect the human species? Are you keen about it or anxious about it? Or do you assume you recognize the reply?

Dave Jilk (my first enterprise accomplice and certainly one of my closest mates) just lately revealed EPOCH: A Poetic Psy-Phi Saga.

When Dave described the concept for the ebook he was engaged on throughout a protracted hike 4 years in the past up and round Inexperienced Mountain in Boulder, I used to be fascinated with what he had determined to tackle. AI wasn’t entrance of thoughts in the identical approach as at the moment, however Dave had been doing analysis in that enviornment for round a decade. Once we talked about AI, our discussions normally revolved round elements of AGI. I used to be primarily in listening and questioning mode since Dave’s data and ideas shortly went past my understanding of – nicely – all of it.

Dave may have taken his deep understanding of AI, know-how generally, philosophy, and psychology in a number of instructions with an intensive writing venture. However one more ebook explaining AI or philosophizing (or rhapsodizing) about it will be … boring. And whereas I’m having fun with studying plenty of AI-inspired sci-fi, AI is now a routine trope that’s being woven into extra complicated sci-fi.

So, Dave determined to jot down a poem—a really lengthy poem—an epic poem about AITHER, the primary absolutely human-level synthetic normal intelligence. It’s a memoir by AITHER, totally from AITHER’s standpoint. As the primary human-level AGI, AITHER muses extensively about id and objective, future selves, the significance of magnificence, the character and ethics of technological progress, cultural affect and hegemony, humanity’s tragic flaws, and existential threat.

There may be additionally a soundtrack as a result of each ebook wants a soundtrack. In case you like album-length soundtracks, Dave subsetted a soundtrack for the wireheading scene.

However EPOCH isn’t merely an epic poem concerning the first human-level intelligence AGI. It’s stuffed with allusions to books, poems, songs, educational papers, work, and movies. In Dave’s phrases:

“These aren’t merely passing linguistic echoes; normally they join with the purpose made or the subject addressed. As an entire they’re additionally an necessary thematic ingredient of the ebook, and are referred to as “osculations.”

EPOCH: A Poetic Psy-Phi Saga took Dave 4 years to create. I learn the primary half about two years in the past and the finished draft about 9 months in the past. I keep in mind vividly telling Amy, “Studying this ebook is numerous work, however it’s completely price it.”

If you would like extra of the backstory, have a look at the EPOCH web site.

However know that I strongly suggest you purchase a replica of EPOCH: A Poetic Psy-Phi Saga proper now if you’re keen on AI, sci-fi, philosophy, psychology, technological progress, humanity’s tragic flaws, or a incredible work-product from 4 years of effort.