The Challenge of “Superintelligence”: A Comment on Bostrom's Book Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies (2014)

Abstract

The article outlines a series of complex challenges posed by the possibility of “superintelligence.” In line with some of the key emphases made by the Swedish philosopher Nick Bostrom in his work Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies (2014), I put forward some pressing philosophical (metaphysical, epistemological and ethical) questions that emerge when faced with the possibility of artificial agents surpassing human cognitive abilities in virtually all important areas of life. After a brief summary of Bostrom's “The Unfinished Fable of the Sparrows,” I provide the preliminary definitions of the main concepts in the field of inquiry (i.e. intelligence, intelligence explosion, and superintelligence). I then explain why a distinction must be made between the question about the intelligence of an entity and the question about this entity also possessing conscious mental states, and go on to point out the possible technological paths towards superintelligence and the various uncertainties about related issues. The pressing nature of these questions and the fact that they still remain unresolved suggest that there are in fact no simple solutions, and that we are dealing with a serious problem that requires further thorough philosophical, scientific, as well as wider social engagement.