In the last decade, neuroscience has confirmed what intuition could only suggest: that we desire more than pleasure. We act not for the sake of pleasure alone. We cannot solve the Friendly AI problem just by programming an AI to maximize pleasure.
Either this conclusion contradicts the whole point of the article, or I don’t understand what is meant by the various terms “desire”, “want”, “pleasure”, etc. If pleasure is “that which we like”, then yes we can solve FAI by programming an AI to maximize pleasure.
The mistake you (lukeprog, but also eliezer) are apparently making worries me very much. It is irrelevant what we desire or want, as is what we act for. The only thing that is relevant is that which we like. Tell me, if the experience machine gave you that which you like (“pleasure” or “complex fun” or whatchamacallit), would you hook up to it? Surely you would have to be superstitious to refuse!
I am going to try to be there. I’ll be traveling from Maastricht.
Edit: I decided not to go after all.