Let's Talk About Reality (And What It Means for AGI)

The world we live in is a rich tapestry of experiences, woven together by a multitude of dimensions. From the colors and shapes we see to the tastes and smells we enjoy, our reality is far more than just physical spaces and the passage of time. But what does all this mean for Artificial General Intelligence (AGI)? Well, the way we navigate this multidimensional reality holds essential lessons for AGI development.

Imagine sitting by a cozy fireplace on a cold winter night. We don't just see the flames. We feel the warmth, hear the crackling sound, and smell the burning wood. For an AGI to understand this experience, it needs sensors that can capture these different dimensions—each sensor would be like a column of data, recording distinct aspects for the AGI to learn from.

But here's where it gets tricky. An AGI could see the light of the fire and smell the smoke, but what about the heat? As it moves closer, the heat increases and the smoke becomes more harmful. The AGI needs self-regulation to know the levels of heat it can tolerate, based on its material composition and limitations. If it gets too close to the fire, will it pull its hand away, just as we would? Or, if it's made of fire-resistant material, will it know it can safely withstand the heat?

And then there's the taste of an apple. Does an AGI need to know the taste of an apple? Would the electricity that sustains it somehow simulate this experience? And, just like humans know the limits of pleasure and the harm of overindulgence, would an AGI understand that staying plugged in all the time, consuming electricity, could harm the greater system?

These questions highlight why AGI needs more than just passive data analysis. It needs to actively interact with the world and learn from these interactions. This is where the wisdom of Aristotle and Heidegger comes in. They recognized that humans aren't just passive observers. We are driven by goals (telos) and desires, actively engaging with the world to fulfill them.

For AGI to truly understand the world as we do, it needs to emulate this sensory-desire-goal-activity-learning feedback loop. It needs a sense of 'being in the world', a purpose that drives its interactions and learning. It needs to be more than a complex calculator—it needs to be an active participant in the world.

Creating an AGI that can navigate our multidimensional reality is an exciting frontier. It's about equipping it with new types of sensors, developing systems that allow it to learn from active engagement, and imbuing it with a sense of purpose and self-regulation. It's about creating an AGI that can understand, engage with, and learn from the world as we do.

So, let's appreciate the richness of our multidimensional reality and strive to create AGI that can truly understand and engage with it. After all, this reality is the stage where we live out our lives and where AGI will need to find its own 'being'.