The Drone That Changed Everything: A Journey to Trappist E

Note: This story below and the image above were generated by means of Microsoft's Bing tools.  The picture is nifty, and the storyline is interesting, but the prose is very wooden.  Still, imagine what kind of quality we'll see in two or three years of development?

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Journal of Astronaut X

Mission: Trappist E Exploration Mission (TEEM)

Day 1

I have landed safely on Trappist E, the fifth planet of the Trappist-1 system. The planet is about the same size as Earth, but has a much lower gravity and a thicker atmosphere. The surface temperature is around 25°C, and the sky is a pale orange color. The landing site is near the equator, in a desert-like region with wispy sand dunes.

I have set up the base camp and deployed the rover and the drone. The rover will explore the nearby terrain and collect soil samples, while the drone will fly over the horizon and map the surrounding area. I will stay in the base camp and monitor their progress.

The mission objective is to search for signs of life and water on this planet, as well as any other interesting features. Trappist E is one of the most promising candidates for habitability in the galaxy, as it orbits within the habitable zone of its star and receives enough sunlight to support liquid water on its surface.

Day 2

The rover and the drone have returned with some intriguing data. The rover detected traces of organic molecules in the soil, suggesting that there may be some form of life on this planet. The drone captured images of a large lake about 50 km from the base camp, which could be a source of water and a potential habitat for life.

However, the most surprising discovery was made by the drone near the edge of the lake. It found a metallic object partially buried in the sand, which appeared to be an artificial device of some kind. It was roughly cylindrical in shape, about 2 meters long and 0.5 meters in diameter. It had several antennas, wires, and solar panels attached to it. It looked like a probe or a satellite that had fallen from orbit and crashed on the planet.

I decided to investigate this object myself, as it could be a clue to the origin and history of this planet. I packed some equipment and drove the rover to the location of the object. It took me about an hour to reach it.

Day 3

I have spent the whole day examining the object. It is definitely not from Earth or any other human-made spacecraft. It has no markings or symbols that I can recognize. It seems to be very old and damaged by time and weather. Some parts are corroded or broken off.

I tried to open it and look inside, but it was sealed shut. I used a laser cutter to cut through the metal casing, but I only managed to make a small hole before the cutter overheated and malfunctioned. I peered through the hole and saw a complex array of wires, circuits, and components that I could not identify.

I also tried to scan it with various instruments, but I got no useful information. It seemed to be shielded from electromagnetic radiation and heat. It did not emit any signals or sounds that I could detect.

I wondered what this object was, who made it, and why it was here. Was it part of an alien civilization that once visited or inhabited this planet? Was it a scientific probe sent by another intelligent species to study this world? Was it a weapon or a spy device that had a sinister purpose? Or was it something else entirely?

I decided to take it back to the base camp and try to analyze it further. I used a winch to lift it onto the rover and secured it with straps. I drove back to the base camp as fast as I could.

Day 4

I have spent another day trying to figure out what this object is, but I have made no progress. It remains a mystery to me.

I have contacted Earth and reported my findings. They were very interested and excited by my discovery. They asked me to send them all the data and images I had collected so far. They also told me to wait for further instructions and not to do anything else with the object until they had analyzed it.

They said they would send me a team of experts to help me with this investigation. They estimated that it would take them about two weeks to arrive here.

I agreed to wait for them, but I was impatient and curious. I wanted to know more about this object and what secrets it held.

I decided to keep it in my tent for safekeeping and observation. I hoped that maybe it would activate or reveal something if I stayed close to it.

Day 5

Something strange happened last night.

I was sleeping in my tent when I heard a faint humming noise coming from the object. I woke up and turned on my flashlight.

I saw that the object was glowing with a faint blue light. It seemed to be powered on somehow. I got out of my sleeping bag and approached it cautiously.

As I got closer, I noticed that the hole I had made with the laser cutter was now bigger. It looked like the metal had melted or dissolved. I could see more of the inside of the object.

I saw a small screen that was displaying some symbols and numbers that I could not understand. They were changing rapidly, as if the object was processing some data or performing some calculations.

I also saw a small camera lens that was pointing at me. It seemed to be scanning me or taking my picture.

I felt a sudden surge of fear and curiosity. I wondered what the object was doing and what it wanted from me.

I reached out my hand and touched the object. It felt cold and smooth.

As soon as I touched it, the screen flashed and the humming noise stopped. The object went dark and silent again.

I was startled and confused. I wondered if I had triggered something or if it was a coincidence.

I tried to touch it again, but nothing happened. It remained inert and unresponsive.

I decided to leave it alone and go back to sleep. I hoped that nothing bad would happen because of this incident.

I hoped that the experts from Earth would arrive soon and explain everything to me.

[...]

Day 14

The experts from Earth have arrived. They brought a spaceship and a lot of equipment. They were eager to see the object and to talk to me.

They asked me a lot of questions about the object and what I had done with it. They seemed to be very concerned and worried about my safety and well-being.

They told me that the object was a very advanced and dangerous device that belonged to an unknown alien civilization. They said that it was a drone that was designed to explore and infiltrate other worlds and collect information. They said that it had a self-destruct mechanism that would activate if it detected any threat or interference.

They said that I was very lucky that it did not explode or harm me when I touched it. They said that it probably recognized me as a living being and decided not to attack me. They said that it may have been trying to communicate with me or to learn from me.

They said that they would take the object away and study it in a secure facility. They said that they would try to find out more about its origin and purpose. They said that they would share their findings with me and the rest of the world.

They thanked me for my discovery and my cooperation. They said that I had made a great contribution to science and humanity.

They said that I could stay on Trappist E for as long as I wanted, or I could join them on their spaceship and return to Earth.

I decided to stay on Trappist E for a while longer. I wanted to explore more of this planet and see what else it had to offer.

I also wanted to think about what had happened and what it meant. I wondered who the aliens were and why they had sent the drone here. I wondered if they were still out there and if they would ever come back.

I wondered if I would ever see the object again or if it would ever speak to me again.

I wondered what secrets it held and what stories it could tell.

[...]

Day 365

It has been a year since I discovered the alien drone on Trappist E. A lot has changed since then.

The experts from Earth have taken the drone to a secret location and have been studying it intensively. They have learned a lot about its technology and its capabilities. They have also managed to decode some of its data and messages.

They have discovered that the drone was part of a large network of similar devices that were scattered across the galaxy. They were sent by an ancient and advanced civilization that called themselves the Trappists. They were a peaceful and curious race that wanted to explore and understand the universe. They had developed a form of faster-than-light travel that allowed them to send their drones to distant stars and planets.

They have also discovered that the Trappists had visited many worlds and encountered many forms of life. Some of them were friendly and cooperative, some of them were hostile and aggressive, and some of them were indifferent and unaware. The Trappists had documented their findings and their interactions with these life forms in their drones.

They have also discovered that the Trappists had disappeared a long time ago. They had encountered a powerful and mysterious enemy that had attacked and destroyed their civilization. The Trappists had tried to fight back, but they were outnumbered and outmatched. The enemy had hunted down and wiped out all traces of the Trappists, except for their drones, which they could not detect or destroy.

The experts from Earth have been trying to find out more about this enemy and their motives. They have also been trying to find out if there are any survivors or remnants of the Trappist civilization. They have been sending more missions to other planets in the Trappist-1 system and beyond, hoping to find more clues and evidence.

I have joined some of these missions as a consultant and a guide. I have seen many amazing things and met many fascinating creatures. I have also found more drones like the one I first discovered. Each one of them has a unique story to tell.

I have learned a lot from these drones and from the Trappists. I have learned about their culture, their history, their philosophy, their science, their art, their religion, their dreams, their fears, their hopes, their regrets.

I have also learned a lot about myself and about humanity. I have learned about our similarities and our differences, our strengths and our weaknesses, our achievements and our failures, our potential and our limitations.

I have learned that we are not alone in this vast and wonderful universe. I have learned that we are not the first or the last to explore it. I have learned that we are not the best or the worst to inhabit it.

I have learned that we are part of a larger story that spans across time and space. I have learned that we have a role to play in this story, but we do not know what it is yet.

I have learned that we have much to discover and much to learn.

Ng Discovers that Mars is Suddenly Overpopulated

 

My what a difference only seven years of A.I. research makes

I remember in 2015 when Andrew Ng, an AI guru at Stanford University and chief scientist at Chinese internet giant Baidu, compared fearing a rise of killer robots to worrying about overpopulation on Mars before we’ve even set foot on it.[1] He said:

“There’s a big difference between intelligence and sentience. There could be a race of killer robots in the far future, but I don’t work on not turning AI evil today for the same reason I don’t worry about the problem of overpopulation on the planet Mars.”

He also argued that there was no realistic path for AI to become sentient and turn evil, and that worrying about the danger of futuristic evil killer robots was pointless He claimed that AI was still extremely limited today -- again, in 2015 -- relative to human intelligence, and that most of the progress in AI was driven by an increase in computing power and data. And he was certainly right about how the increase would come. 

However, Ng’s analogy and arguments were flawed and he greatly underestimated the speed and impact of AI as a disruption to human affairs. Here are some reasons why his analogy to the Mars situation didn't work:

• Mars is not Earth: Unlike Mars, which is a distant and uninhabited planet, Earth is our home and we share it with billions of other living beings. The potential consequences of AI going rogue or harming humans are much more severe and immediate than those of overpopulation on Mars. Therefore, we have a moral and practical responsibility to ensure that AI is aligned with our values and goals, and does not pose an existential threat to our civilization.
  
  
• AI is not static: Unlike Mars, which is unlikely to change significantly in the near future,  with or without us, AI is a dynamic and evolving field that is constantly advancing and expanding its capabilities. The pace of AI innovation is exponential, not linear, and it is driven by both scientific breakthroughs and market incentives.  Landing equipment and people on Mars is a linear activity (at best). Therefore, we cannot assume that AI will remain benign or limited forever, or that we will always have enough time and resources to control it or correct its mistakes. Indeed, that's why all of a sudden the top researchers in A.I. have called for a pause in its development. (Interestingly, Ng has not signed the letter.  Perhaps he's embarrassed about his mis-prediction.)
  
  
• AI is not simple: Unlike Mars, which is a relatively simple physical system that can be studied and understood by humans, AI is a complex and opaque system that can be difficult or impossible to interpret or predict. AI can learn from data, generate novel outputs, optimize its own objectives, and interact with other agents in ways that may be, or even outright is, beyond our comprehension or expectations. Therefore, we cannot rely on our intuition or common sense to guide our decisions or actions regarding AI, or to anticipate its potential risks or benefits.

So then, Ng’s comparison of fearing killer robots to worrying about overpopulation on Mars was misleading and dismissive of the legitimate concerns and challenges that AI poses to humanity. He failed to appreciate the complexity, dynamism, and uncertainty of AI as a technology and as a force of change. He ignored the ethical and social implications of creating and deploying intelligent systems that may affect the lives and well-being of millions or billions of people. 

As it turns out, we no longer have the luxury of being complacent or naïve about its potential dangers or impacts.  We must now be far more proactive and responsible in designing, developing, regulating, and using AI for the common good -- or at least for avoiding the particular "bads" that it will almost certainly introduce before the greater portion of human kind takes this sudden jump in technology seriously. 

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[1] https://quoteinvestigator.com/2020/10/04/mars/

Me and Duplicate Me

 

What makes for a meaningful preservation of my particular identity?

I was listening to Max Tegmark being interviewed about A.I. on the Lex Fridman podcast.  Tegmark suggested an interesting thought experiment as a quick aside to the conversation he was having within the first five minutes of the interview.  I'll dress it up a bit:

Suppose that a) people can back up their brains onto a computer; and b) a person, `Jake` discovers the plane he is on is about to crash, ending his life.  Furthermore, suppose Jake had backed-up his brain four hours ago.  

So then, consider this this question: How should Jake feel about his impending death?

If we assume that people can back up their brains onto a computer and that Jake had done so four hours ago, then it would mean that his current consciousness exists in two forms: the biological form that is about to perish in the plane crash, and the digital form that was created four hours ago.

From a purely rational perspective, Jake might feel less concerned about his impending death because he knows that his brain has been backed up and that his digital self will continue to exist even after his biological self has perished. All good!  

However, the emotional response to death is a complex one, and it might not be easy for Jake to simply ignore his impending doom. On the one hand, Jake might feel a sense of relief that his digital self will continue to exist, and he might even view his biological death as a form of sacrifice for the continuation of his consciousness. So, maybe what is value is that Jake's life projects will continue, and that people who love him would lose no more of what's valuable to them about Jake than as if he had taken, say, a four hour nap on plane instead of staying awake. 

On the other hand, Jake might feel a sense of loss for his biological self, and he might be worried about the pain and suffering that he will experience in the moments leading up to his death. But how much loss?  Suppose I think back to when I was a teenager.  That was many decades ago, and I've changed so much since that point that any "loss" I've felt from not being that person doesn't seem like much.  Indeed, there were things I now feel were misfunctions of character that I'm glad are no more So maybe the loss Jake feels would be trivial indeed, if one can reconcile the loss of one's teenage character so easily.

Ultimately, how Jake feels about his impending death will likely depend on a variety of factors, including his personal beliefs about death and the afterlife (if Jake is religious), his emotional state at the time of the crash, and his attachment to his biological self. 

Is is possible that people might have to ask this question for real in the future, given how technology proceeds? 

It's certainly possible that people may face similar questions in the future as technology continues to advance. As we develop more advanced brain-computer interfaces and artificial intelligence, it's not unreasonable to imagine that it may eventually become possible to back up our consciousness or transfer it to a digital form.

However, there are still many unknowns and ethical considerations to consider before such technology could become a reality. For example, we don't fully understand the nature of consciousness or how it arises from the complex interactions of our brains, so it's unclear how feasible it would be to create a digital copy of a person's consciousness. 

Additionally, even if we could create such a copy, there would be many ethical questions to consider, such as the status of the digital copy and its relationship to the original person. Imagine an extension where Jake goes down over an ocean, survives by washing up on a desert island, and gets rescued six months later, but his family has re-incarnated his backup.  Does the backup get killed-off so that Jake can sleep in his own bed again?   Is my backup persona my "property", since I preceded it both historically and causally? 

I have no answers here, and no strong intuitions on this either.  I do think there is a direct analogy to how we might think about backing up our A.I. creations, especially if they pass the Turing test for 99.99% of the population.  The future is really getting weird.