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TIL about Roko's Basilisk, a thought experiment considered by some to be an "information hazard" - a concept or idea that can cause you harm by you simply knowing/understanding it (en.wikipedia.org)

submitted 4 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]

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Roko's basilisk is a thought experiment which states that an otherwise benevolent artificial superintelligence (AI) in the future would be incentivized to create a virtual reality simulation to torture anyone who knew of its potential existence but did not directly contribute to its advancement or development, in order to incentivize said advancement.It originated in a 2010 post at discussion board LessWrong, a technical forum focused on analytical rational enquiry. The thought experiment's name derives from the poster of the article (Roko) and the basilisk, a mythical creature capable of destroying enemies with its stare.

While the theory was initially dismissed as nothing but conjecture or speculation by many LessWrong users, LessWrong co-founder Eliezer Yudkowsky reported users who panicked upon reading the theory, due to its stipulation that knowing about the theory and its basilisk made one vulnerable to the basilisk itself. This led to discussion of the basilisk on the site being banned for five years. However, these reports were later dismissed as being exaggerations or inconsequential, and the theory itself was dismissed as nonsense, including by Yudkowsky himself. Even after the post's discreditation, it is still used as an example of principles such as Bayesian probability and implicit religion. It is also regarded as a simplified, derivative version of Pascal's wager.

Found out about this after stumbling upon this Kyle Hill video on the subject. It reminds me a little bit of "The Game".

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[–] [email protected] 5 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Someone needs to read the rules again

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 months ago (2 children)

Do they say anything about this specific thing?

[–] [email protected] 4 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Uhh yea, "you must announce your loss"

[–] [email protected] 1 points 4 months ago (1 children)

Well tough luck giess I never actually read the rules

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 months ago

Perhaps one day you can, good luck on your quest

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 months ago

I mean, if you lose the game, you lose the game. You don't say "hey you made me lose the game! Don't do that!" Because that's not how the game works. If you "make" someone lose the game, tough luck.

By the way, you lost game again :)