EPOCH: A Poetic Psy-Phi Saga – Tech Cyber Web

Are you interested by AI? Do you get pleasure from science fiction? Do you might have an opinion about how AI will impression the human species? Are you captivated with it or apprehensive about it? Or do you assume you already know the reply?

Dave Jilk (my first enterprise associate and one among my closest mates) not too long ago printed EPOCH: A Poetic Psy-Phi Saga.

When Dave described the thought 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 method as at this time, however Dave had been doing analysis in that enviornment for round a decade. After we talked about AI, our discussions normally revolved round features of AGI. I used to be primarily in listening and questioning mode since Dave’s information and ideas rapidly went past my understanding of – nicely – all of it.

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

So, Dave determined to put in writing a poem—a really lengthy poem—an epic poem about AITHER, the primary totally human-level synthetic normal intelligence. It’s a memoir by AITHER, totally from AITHER’s perspective. 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’s additionally a soundtrack as a result of each ebook wants a soundtrack. Should you like album-length soundtracks, Dave subsetted a soundtrack for the wireheading scene.

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

“These should not merely passing linguistic echoes; usually they join with the purpose made or the subject addressed. As a complete they’re additionally an necessary thematic ingredient of the ebook, and are known 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 a variety of work, however it’s completely price it.”

In order for you 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 fascinated about AI, sci-fi, philosophy, psychology, technological progress, humanity’s tragic flaws, or a improbable work-product from 4 years of effort.