View source for The Hanson-Yudkowsky AI-Foom Debate

In late 2008, an extensive and long-awaited debate about the [[Technological Singularity]] occurred on [[Overcoming Bias]], mainly between [[Robin Hanson]] and [[Eliezer Yudkowsky]]. It focused on the likelihood of [[hard takeoff|hard AI takeoff]] ("[[FOOM]]"), the need for a theory of [[Friendly AI|Friendliness]], and the future of [[AI]], [[brain emulations]], and [[recursive improvement]] in general. This debate is often used to illustrate the difficulty of resolving [[disagreement|disagreements]], even among expert rationalists.

The posts constituting this debate have been collected here to make it easier to follow for future audiences.

==Prologue==

* [http://www.overcomingbias.com/2008/11/fund-ubertool.html Fund UberTool?] by [[Robin Hanson]]
* [http://www.overcomingbias.com/2008/11/engelbarts-uber.html Engelbart as UberTool?] by [[Robin Hanson]]
* [http://www.overcomingbias.com/2008/11/englebart-not-r.html Friendly Teams] by [[Robin Hanson]]
* [http://www.overcomingbias.com/2008/11/friendliness-fa.html Friendliness Factors] by [[Robin Hanson]]
* [http://lesswrong.com/lw/vz/the_weak_inside_view/ The Weak Inside View] by [[Eliezer Yudkowsky]]
* [http://www.overcomingbias.com/2008/11/setting-the-sta.html Setting The Stage] by [[Robin Hanson]]
* [http://lesswrong.com/lw/w0/the_first_world_takeover/ The First World Takeover] by [[Eliezer Yudkowsky]]
* [http://www.overcomingbias.com/2008/11/abstraction-vs.html Abstraction, Not Analogy] by [[Robin Hanson]]
* [http://lesswrong.com/lw/w1/whence_your_abstractions/ Whence Your Abstractions?] by [[Eliezer Yudkowsky]]

==Main sequence==

* [http://www.overcomingbias.com/2008/11/ai-go-foom.html AI Go Foom] by [[Robin Hanson]]
* [http://lesswrong.com/lw/rk/optimization_and_the_singularity/ Optimization and the Singularity] by [[Eliezer Yudkowsky]]
* [http://www.overcomingbias.com/2008/06/eliezers-meta-l.html Eliezer's Meta-Level Determinismi] by [[Robin Hanson]]
* [http://lesswrong.com/lw/w2/observing_optimization/ Observing Optimization] by [[Eliezer Yudkowsky]]
* [http://lesswrong.com/lw/w3/lifes_story_continues/ Life's Story Continues] by [[Eliezer Yudkowsky]]
* [http://www.overcomingbias.com/2008/11/emulations-go-f.html Emulations Go Foom] by [[Robin Hanson]]
* [http://www.overcomingbias.com/2008/11/brain-emulation.html Brain Emulation and Hard Takeoff] by [[Carl Shulman]]
* [http://www.overcomingbias.com/2008/11/billion-dollar.html Billion Dollar Bots] by [[James Miller]]
* [http://lesswrong.com/lw/w4/surprised_by_brains/ Surprised by Brains] by [[Eliezer Yudkowsky]]
* [http://www.overcomingbias.com/2008/11/suppose-that-ro.html “Evicting” brain emulations] by [[Carl Shulman]]
* [http://lesswrong.com/lw/w5/cascades_cycles_insight/ Cascades, Cycles, Insight...] by [[Eliezer Yudkowsky]]
* [http://www.overcomingbias.com/2008/11/when-life-is-ch.html When Life Is Cheap, Death Is Cheap] by [[Robin Hanson]]
* [http://lesswrong.com/lw/w6/recursion_magic/ ...Recursion, Magic] by [[Eliezer Yudkowsky]]
* [http://www.overcomingbias.com/2008/11/abstractdistant.html Abstract/Distant Future Bias] by [[Robin Hanson]]
* [http://lesswrong.com/lw/w8/engelbart_insufficiently_recursive/ Engelbart: Insufficiently Recursive] by [[Eliezer Yudkowsky]]
* [http://lesswrong.com/lw/w9/total_nano_domination/ Total Nano Domination] by [[Eliezer Yudkowsky]]
* [http://www.overcomingbias.com/2008/11/dreams-of-autar.html Dreams of Autarky] by [[Robin Hanson]]
* [http://www.overcomingbias.com/2008/11/total-tech-wars.html Total Tech Wars] by [[Robin Hanson]]
* [http://lesswrong.com/lw/wc/singletons_rule_ok/ Singletons Rule OK] by [[Eliezer Yudkowsky]]
* [http://www.overcomingbias.com/2008/11/stuck-in-throat.html Stuck In Throat] by [[Robin Hanson]]
* [http://lesswrong.com/lw/wd/disappointment_in_the_future/ Disappointment in the Future] by [[Eliezer Yudkowsky]]
* [http://www.overcomingbias.com/2008/12/i-heart-cyc.html I Heart CYC] by [[Robin Hanson]]
* [http://lesswrong.com/lw/we/recursive_selfimprovement/ Recursive Self-Improvement] by [[Eliezer Yudkowsky]]
* [http://www.overcomingbias.com/2008/12/whither-manufac.html Whither Manufacturing?] by [[Robin Hanson]]
* [http://lesswrong.com/lw/wf/hard_takeoff/ Hard Takeoff] by [[Eliezer Yudkowsky]]
* [http://www.overcomingbias.com/2008/12/test-near-apply.html Test Near, Apply Far] by [[Robin Hanson]]
* [http://lesswrong.com/lw/wg/permitted_possibilities_locality/ Permitted Possibilities, & Locality] by [[Eliezer Yudkowsky]]
* [http://lesswrong.com/lw/wh/underconstrained_abstractions/ Underconstrained Abstractions] by [[Eliezer Yudkowsky]]
* [http://www.overcomingbias.com/2008/12/beware-hockey-s.html Beware Hockey Stick Plans] by [[Robin Hanson]]
* [http://www.overcomingbias.com/2008/12/evolved-desires.html Evolved Desires] by [[Robin Hanson]]
* [http://lesswrong.com/lw/wi/sustained_strong_recursion/ Sustained Strong Recursion] by [[Eliezer Yudkowsky]]
* [http://www.overcomingbias.com/2008/12/friendly-projec.html Friendly Projects vs. Products] by [[Robin Hanson]]
* [http://lesswrong.com/lw/wj/is_that_your_true_rejection/ Is That Your True Rejection?] by [[Eliezer Yudkowsky]]
* [http://www.overcomingbias.com/2008/12/shared-ai-wins.html Shared AI Wins] by [[Robin Hanson]]
* [http://lesswrong.com/lw/wk/artificial_mysterious_intelligence/ Artificial Mysterious Intelligence] by [[Eliezer Yudkowsky]]
* [http://www.overcomingbias.com/2008/12/wrapping-up.html Wrapping Up] by [[Robin Hanson]]
* [http://lesswrong.com/lw/wl/true_sources_of_disagreement/ True Sources of Disagreement] by [[Eliezer Yudkowsky]]
* [http://www.overcomingbias.com/2008/12/the-bad-guy-bia.html The Bad Guy Bias] by [[Robin Hanson]]
* [http://lesswrong.com/lw/wm/disjunctions_antipredictions_etc/ Disjunctions, Antipredictions, Etc.] by [[Eliezer Yudkowsky]]
* [http://www.overcomingbias.com/2008/12/are-ais-homo-ec.html Are AIs Homo Economicus?] by [[Robin Hanson]]
* [http://www.overcomingbias.com/2008/12/two-visions-of.html Two Visions Of Heritage] by [[Robin Hanson]]
* [http://lesswrong.com/lw/wo/the_mechanics_of_disagreement/ The Mechanics of Disagreement] by [[Eliezer Yudkowsky]]

==Conclusion==

* [http://www.overcomingbias.com/2008/12/what-core-argument.html What Core Argument?] by [[Robin Hanson]]
* [http://lesswrong.com/lw/wp/what_i_think_if_not_why/ What I Think, If Not Why] by [[Eliezer Yudkowsky]]
* [http://lesswrong.com/lw/wt/not_taking_over_the_world/ Not Taking Over the World] by [[Eliezer Yudkowsky]]

==Postscript==

* [http://www.overcomingbias.com/2008/12/we-agree-get-froze.html We Agree: Get Froze] by [[Robin Hanson]]
* [http://lesswrong.com/lw/wq/you_only_live_twice/ You Only Live Twice] by [[Eliezer Yudkowsky]]

==See also==

*[[Intelligence explosion]]
*[[Outside view]]

[[Category:Sequences]]