John Seiffertt

Computer Science @Hillsdale

"and with his ear to the reed-stems he caught, at intervals, something of what the wind went whispering so constantly among them."

[John Seiffertt @JohnSeiffertt]

There are no numbers in a computer. There is no code.

[John Seiffertt @JohnSeiffertt]

@almighty_lisp I like Machine Intelligence. That's a good one.

[John Seiffertt @JohnSeiffertt]

@EricRSammons Computation is immaterial. The idea is that the computer channels or gives rise to a computation and that would be the locus of potential consciousness, mind, etc.

[John Seiffertt @JohnSeiffertt]

@simonelli_ryan 100%. From a computer science functionalist perspective that Block paper has many holes in it.

[John Seiffertt @JohnSeiffertt]

I appreciate the moral insight that our work contributes to something real and that, even in aggregate, we ought to care to the moral dimension of that. Our work can affect our soul as it affects the world.

We speak of AI alignment but we cant even align our own human-run organizations towards human flourishing.

[gfodor.id @gfodor]

People keep asking if “AI” is conscious or not. Category error. The question to ask is if a specific physical system is conscious or not. I would be shocked if any of today’s AI systems are, because of how they’re configured, but the same software in different hardware might be.

[John Seiffertt @JohnSeiffertt]

Enforceability ought to be at the forefront of any course policy. A "no AI" policy, for example, risks harming only the most desperate or vulnerable students.

[Jonathan Birch @birchlse]

I'm quite sceptical of approaches that catch casual/incompetent cheats while allowing skilled cheats to prosper. Firstly there are plenty of skilled cheats out there. Secondly, the currently incompetent cheats are skilling up fast.

[John Seiffertt @JohnSeiffertt]

Not all AI are LLMs.

[John Seiffertt @JohnSeiffertt]

Could we "pace the frontier" of cell phones? Get the tech companies to go back to 2004 style bar phones? For safety.

[John Seiffertt @JohnSeiffertt]

Thomas today would deeply learn things like the science behind AI and update metaphysics to explore the mysteries of mind the science helps unfold.

Some Thomists today are content to say "this new language is different than the old" and just dismiss it all.

I wish it weren't so.

[John Seiffertt @JohnSeiffertt]

An LLM is not a human.

Think of it as a "next page generator" for a book you want written on a topic of interest to you.

Don't think of it as a confidant or friend who wants to help you.

[John Seiffertt @JohnSeiffertt]

AI is mathematics and metal. To engage in thinking about the nature of AI, it's good to first spend some serious time with the science of it all.

[John Seiffertt @JohnSeiffertt]

We can't "truly understand what we're building" without serious mathematics and engineering knowledge of AI. Too often philosophers skip this part. The TAC curriculum provides zero help in this regard.

I do look forward to what you may say about the societal implications of AI, however.

Distinguishing man from machine is not hard--man is not metal. The hard part is translating what the tradition says into AI terms. That part cannot be done without understanding the science and I've yet to see a philosopher take enough care to do this. I trust your book will be different.

[John Seiffertt @JohnSeiffertt]

It's Fall Break @Hillsdale. Beautiful Fall day. Overcast and a little rainy is how we like it here in Southern Michigan.

[Joscha Bach @Plinz]

@StuartHameroff I think that consciousness is virtual: it can only be experienced from inside of itself, because it is a simulation what it would be like if the observer existed, experienced and cared. Consciousness does not exist in the physical universe.

[John Seiffertt @JohnSeiffertt]

@FeserEdward 100%. We teach Artificial Intelligence @Hillsdale. We will not be teaching Super Intelligence.

[John Seiffertt @JohnSeiffertt]

@rastokke 100%. Without automaticity in arithmetic you cant do algebra. Without fluency in algebra you can't do calculus etc. Saying its not about memorization but about higher order thinking is like saying its not about being able to read words but about the deeper meaning in literature.

[John Seiffertt @JohnSeiffertt]

@MatthewBoedy No. Hillsdale will do this without DOD money if it comes to pass.

https://t.co/EB0rPEIEJv