Meaning of Roko's basilisk | Babel Free

Definitions

A thought experiment which posits a hypothetical, otherwise benevolent artificial intelligence of the future that would have an incentive to torture anyone who, having considered the possibility of its existence, had not helped bring about its existence.

Examples

“2020, Griffin Kao, Jessica Hong, Michael Perusse, Weizhen Sheng, Turning Silicon into Gold, Springer (Apress), page 177, Roko's Basilisk closely resembles traditional religious belief systems, merely replacing the role of God with a super-AI instead.”

“2021, Richard Heimann, Doing AI, BenBella Books (Matt Holt Books), page 137, Roko's Basilisk is a thought experiment about the potential risks involved in developing so-called true artificial intelligence. The premise is that an all-powerful artificial super-intelligence could retroactively punish those who did not help bring about its existence. Roko's Basilisk resembles a futurist version of Pascal's Wager in that it suggests people should weigh the possible infinite gain and infinite punishment for accepting or rejecting the creation of artificial super-intelligence.”

“Roko's Basilisk has been described as the most terrifying thought experiment of all time, or as Slate’s David Auerbach subtitled his 2014 article: "Why Are Techno-futurists So Freaked Out by Roko's Basilisk?"”

CEFR level