The Hanson-Yudkowsky AI-Foom Debate

Abstract

In late 2008, an extensive and long-awaited debate about the Technological Singularity occurred on Overcoming Bias, mainly between Robin Hanson and Eliezer Yudkowsky. It focused on the likelihood of hard AI takeoff ("FOOM"), the need for a theory of Friendliness, and the future of AI, brain emulations, and recursive improvement in general. This debate is often used to illustrate the difficulty of resolving disagreements, even among expert rationalists. The posts constituting this debate have been collected here to make it easier to follow for future audiences.