A.G.I. What it is and how it will affect our future

What Is it?

A.G.I. stands for Artificial General Intelligence. What this means in laymen’s terms is a computer that has the ability to learn and retain information. A.G.I. is at the forefront of science fiction and could become a reality very soon according to Elon Musk and Sam Harris. If you don’t know who these people are, Elon Musk is the co-founder of Tesla Motors and the CEO/CTO of SpaceX. He is an active inventor, engineer, and investor. If you haven’t heard Tesla or SpaceX, I strongly urge you to look them up and do some reading. Sam Harris is a best-selling author and neuroscientist. He is a little controversial but what he says in his talk on the Joe Rogan Experience is definitely interesting and enlightening on just how close we are.

Should it be created?

This is both a very exciting and scary idea. Should we strive to create something bigger and better than us that could wipe us out without much difficulty? Is it something that’s needed or just an accident waiting to happen? How would we curb this newly sentient being into looking out for our best interests? How do we know if this being would even care what’s happening on Earth? All valid “cons” of the A.G.I. idea and the reasons why a lot of people are questioning if we should create this. It also has its uses. With this A.G.I., we wouldn’t have to worry about car wrecks, maintaining infrastructure, or even agriculture. If this A.G.I. was built and was helpful to the human race we wouldn’t need a lot of things and a lot of jobs. It would, presumably increase quality of living while simultaneously decreasing costs across the country. Things would be cheaper, more efficient, and easier to manage. The downside to these “pros” is the loss of manual and unskilled labor. Lots of people would find themselves out of work. Now this change would be gradual but over a relatively small time-frame. The IT industry would explode and more people would be needed to maintain the electrical systems this being would need to “travel” through. While it is indeed a very slippery slope, I think A.G.I. if handled well can help us out for the future but we have a minute margin for error.

How can we insure the Human race lives after?

If the A.G.I. is made and handled correctly, I believe we can live together in a symbiotic relationship. As I said before, we are walking a tightrope with this one. If we restrict its communication with others and “entice” the machine to move forward and learn, as Harris said in the video, we will find the end product will be jaded towards the human race and possibly even hostile. If we give it “laws” like the  3 Laws of Robotics, the A.G.I. would be stifled and most likely try to break those chains. If we leave it free to do whatever it pleases, we may be seen as ants and therefore crushed. If we are going to create life, and yes I would consider this life it can grow, it can reproduce, it could possibly die, we have to treat it like any other life we bring into this world. We have to nurture it while we can and not try to destroy when it no longer relies on us. We have to teach it understanding and show it what emotions are. We have to treat it like it is our own child but still its own individual. We have to make it one of us, not just another tool to be used.

How do we nurture something so intellectually far past us?

We have to give it what it can not get on its own. The A.G.I. will have logic and knowledge in abundance as soon as it is turned on. It will have critical thinking and problem solving. It won’t have Wisdom. It won’t have emotion. It won’t have humanity. We have to give it or at least teach it these things, what they mean, how they are applied, and above all we have to give it an appreciation for life. We have to help it understand the folly of Man, and why it’s a necessary evil to overcome and push forward.

What can we expect if we hit this bulls-eye?

If we are able to live symbiotically with this A.G.I., we can expect the same exponential curve we were started upon when civilization started. If we are able to produce and live together with an A.G.I. we can expect automated houses as the norm, perfectly self-driving cars, cleaner environment, more efficient production and agriculture, more nurturing and specific education.  This A.G.I. would be able to do all this without breaking a sweat.It may take some time to get there but this A.G.I. could serve as jolt to the arm and bring humanity to a place where it can see its full potential. Only if we are able to push that camel through the eye of the needle and get the 1 in a million chance that this A.G.I. will want to work with us to better ourselves rather than just start life over.

Questions? Comments? Am I full of Shit? Fire away below.

Infinity Stones and the Marvel Cinematic Universe (Half-SPOILER)

So I must preface this with the fact that the MCU (marvel cinematic universe) and the comic book universe are different. Same names, slightly different stories. That being said, I will describe what the Infinity Stones, or Infinity Gems in the comics, are and how they fit in the MCU. I will reference the comic versions as “Gems” and the MCU as “Stones”

First, the Infinity Gems are 6 different stones that harness the powers in our universe. They were created by The Celestials. These were beings that once ruled the universe but were destroyed by the Godkiller Armor and left 6 Gems of awesome powers. These 6 Gems are:

1. The Power Gem (Red)
   1. Greatly enhances ones power and durability
   2. Fuses with the user and appears in liquid form
2. The Space Gem (Purple)
   1. Can open wormholes and teleport the user to anywhere in the Omniverse
3. The Time Gem (Orange)
   1. Can see both the past and future
   2. Can manipulate time
   3. Can manipulate a person’s age
4. The Reality Gem (Yellow)
   1. Can control the reality around the user
5. The Mind Gem (Blue)
   1. Can Read and control others minds
   2. Gives knowledge of all
   3. Gives understanding of all
6. The Soul Gem (Green)
   1. Grants the ability to see another’s soul
   2. Can absorb a soul into it
   3. Has an internal world that can move souls in and out of
   4. Can return a soul to its original state

Again, the MCU is different from what I just listed. The MCU loosely follows the comics but has a definitive spin to them. The movies address things differently, and it’s very obvious in the basic color of these gems. Also I believe that the Celestials are the 6 mentioned to have controlled the Infinity Stones for a while but were destroyed by them. We have seen 4 of these but this is where the SPOILERS start.

1. The Aether – “Thor, The Dark World” – The Reality Stone (Red)
   1. In “Thor, the Dark World,” Dr Jane Foster, played by every geek fantasy Natalie Portman, investigates multiple portals opened up to other worlds. While investigating, she gets sucked into one and thrown on a barren, scorched planet. Once on the planet she finds a cube. Being a curious human, she looks inside and touches it. Instantly, the Aether is absorbed into her body and soon after Thor accompanies her to Asgard to seek a cure. When a cure isn’t found on Asgard, they attempt to extract it a different way when a new adversary arises. The Aether is then stolen and used by Malekith, the dark elf, in order to bring down Asgard. Malekith and Thor then battle to the death in a fight that span all of reality. Once subdued, the Aether is taken by Sif to The Collector for safe keeping.
2.  The Tesseract – Basically at least mentioned in all the movies – Space Stone (blue)
   1. The Tesseract is used for weapons manufacturing, can open wormholes and at full capabilities grant omnipresence. The first time we see the Tesseract is in Iron Man 2, and it is a huge aspect of Captain America. It is shown in the movies to create a limitless amount of energy that Howard Stark and Red Skull try to harness and duplicate.  It also allows Thor to teleport to Asgard. It now resides in Asgard under the watchful eye of Odin, or so Thor thinks. Loki tricks Thor and is most likely ruling Asgard at the moment with the appearance of Odin
3.  The Vision’s forehead? – Avengers: Age of Ultron – The Mind Stone (Yellow)
   1. This stone is used to open new logic and understanding of the universe. Hidden in Loki’s scepter which he repeatedly uses to try to take over people’s minds, it is used to create what Ultron thinks is going to be his ultimate form. Instead, Ultron is foiled and his perfect Vibranium/ Mind Stone body is stolen. Once back at Stark Tower, Our heroes fight over what should be done with this indestructible being. Then Thor shows up and decides for them. What is birthed from the sudden intense shock of Thor’s hammer is The Vision. The Vision is a human-synthetic hybrid. The Mind Stone gives him understanding, logic, and heroism. While his synthetic side gives him information, regeneration, and computation.
4. The Orb – Guardian’s of the Galaxy – The Power Stone (purple)
   1. The Power stone is lost on the planet Morag and retrieved by Peter Quill aka Starlord. Ronan the Accuser is tasked by Thanos to retrieve it and in return he will destroy Xandar for Ronan. Why does Ronan want this you ask? Well the Xandarians and the Kree (Ronan’s race) have been involved in a 1000 years battle that has taken many lives on either side. The 2 governments after eons of fighting reach an agreement for peace. Ronan does not recognize this peace and is hell-bent on putting Xandar on it’s knee’s. When he realizes that the orb is more than just an artifact and is an Infinity Stone he sheds himself of Thanos and pursues revenge himself. The Power Stone gives Ronan the ability to destroy Xandar with a single touch. Obviously, The Guardians stop him but for a time Ronan had the ultimate power in the Universe. Once controlled by the Guardians the Power Stone is given to the Nova Core for safe keeping.

The last 2 stones that were described in Guardians of the Galaxy are the Time Stone and the Soul Stone. These stones are incredibly powerful as one controls time and the other can save or banish souls. I can’t say for sure what will happen with these stones but here are my thoughts on what will happen and when these 2 stones will be introduced.

The Time Stone –

The Time Stone allows the user to see forward, backward, age someone, give someone youth, and alter time. One of the most powerful stones for obviously reasons but, this stone is going to be a somewhat ancillary stone in this universe. This stone has no clear owner or situation in which it will show up before the Infinity Wars. This stone could be used to save Captain America’s life in Civil War or it is possible that it will be used in Dr. Strange although these 2 scenarios seem unlikely. I believe we will see this stone within the next 2 years probably in Dr. Strange or Thor: Ragnarok because Dr Strange is a protector from magical and mystical threats and time travel/alteration would fall into that category, and both Loki and Thor at one time use the Time Stone in the comics. I do believe that the introduction of the Time Stone in Captian America: Civil War is possible just because the “war” isn’t going to be much of a war just not enough heroes and villains to fit 2 sides and they will need more than just Tony and Steve fighting. Can’t put my finger on where this one will show up but it’s coming soon.

The Soul Stone –

This is my favorite of the stones, not only because of what it can do but who in the comics wields it. The soul stone can manipulate, destroy, regenerate souls, and steal another’s powers. Inside the Stone is an idyllic world much like our idea of heaven. This Stone also has a mind of its own. It hungers for souls much like the One Ring manipulates and corrupts to get back to its master. This is the most powerful stone and at full capacity. This one will be introduced in Guardians of the Galaxy 2. While they have already saved the world from one, the Soul Stone has an inexplicable tie to the Guardians. One of their keys members in the comics is bound to it. This, for those of you that don’t know, is Adam Warlock. Yes, I said it. Adam Warlock. There has been a ton of speculation on when/if Adam Warlock will be introduced into the MCU. We have seen hints, like the end credit scene from Thor: Dark World, where we see Adam Warlock’s cocoon behind Sif as she hands the Aether to The Collectoror in Guardians when the meet The Collector. What I believe will happen, as much as it pains me, is a cameo appearance. Not the central figure he is in the comics.  I believe we will see a flashback or brief meeting between Starlord and Warlock and we will see that Adam Warlock is Peter Quill’s father. It makes sense when you remember how Quill’s mother describes his father and the correlation to Adam Warlock’s physique, as well as what is said about Quill’s father at the end of Guardians of the Galaxy. The Nova Core explain that his dad is something ancient they have never seen before, also Yondu refers to him as a jackass. Both of these could describe Adam Warlock. Yes in the comics Warlock isn’t ancient in the comics but he is the Jesus character. It’s possible that the MCU will give him a different back story just like they did Peter Quill, but Warlock is definitely a jackass. Also if my theory on the Celestials I mentioned before is correct, it could be referring to the Infinity Watch which Adam Warlock just so happened to be leader of. Being Quill’s father, he will “give” Quill the Soul Stone and Quill will become the Adam Warlock of the MCU. The other option is that they will show Warlock in Guardians of the Galaxy 2 and he will be the crossover to the Avengers movies and play his normal part. Regardless of how it goes down the Soul Gem will be introduced in Guardians of the Galaxy 2.

So that is a “quick” run-down on what the Infinity Stones are, which ones we know about, and my theories on how we will see the others.

Questions? Comments? Disagree with me? Have at it below