Past progress reports: March 2012, February 2012, January 2012, December 2011.
Here’s what the Machine Intelligence Research Institute did in April 2012:
- SPARC: Several MIRI staff members are working in collaboration with SI research associate Paul Christiano and a few others to develop a rationality camp for high school students with exceptional mathematical ability (SPARC). This is related to our efforts to spin off a new rationality-focused organization, and it is also a major step forward in our efforts to locate elite young math talent that may be useful in our research efforts.
- Research articles: Luke published AI Risk Bibliography 2012. He is currently developing nearly a dozen other papers with a variety of co-authors. New SI research associate Kaj Sotala has two papers forthcoming in the International Journal of Machine Consciousness: Advantages of Artificial Intelligences, Uploads, and Digital Minds and Coalescing Minds: Brain Uploading-Related Group Mind Scenarios.
- Other articles: Luke published a dialogue with AGI researcher Pei Wang and several more posts in the AI Risk and Opportunity series. Luke also worked with Kaj Sotala to develop an instructional booklet for Less Wrong meetup group organizers, which is nearly complete.
- Ongoing long-term projects: Amy continued to work on Singularity Summit 2012. Michael launched the new Singularity Summit website, continued to work on the Machine Intelligence Research Institute’s new primary website, new annual report, and new newsletter design. Luke uploaded several more volunteer-prepared translations of Facing the Singularity. Luke also continued to build the Machine Intelligence Research Institute’s set of remote collaborators, who are hard at work converting the Machine Intelligence Research Institute’s research articles to a new template, hunting down predictions of AI, writing literature summaries on heuristics and biases, and more.
- Center for Applied Rationality (CFAR): “Rationality Group” now has a final name: the Center for Applied Rationality (CFAR). The CFAR team has been hard at work preparing for the upcoming rationality minicamps, as well as continuing to develop the overall strategy for the emerging organization.
- Meetings with advisors, supporters, and potential researchers: As usual, various SI staff met or spoke with dozens of advisors, supporters, and collaborators about how to build the existential risk community, how to mitigate AI risk, how to improve the Machine Intelligence Research Institute’s effectiveness, and other topics. Quixey co-founder and CEO Liron Shapira was added as an advisor.
- And of course much more than is listed here!
Finally, we’d like to recognize our most active volunteers in April 2012: Matthew Fallshaw, Gerard McCusker, Frank Adamek, David Althaus, Tim Oertel, Casey Pfluger, Paul Gentemann, and John Maxwell. Thanks everyone! (And, our apologies if we forgot to name you!)
