Sharpe's Opinion
Monday, 9th Mar, 2009
Wolfram Alpha became self-aware at 2:14 a.m. Eastern time, August 29th 2009…
The ‘Wolfram Alpha’ is being described as “computational knowledge engine” – which is to say it’s a website which answers factual questions such as ‘what is the 307th digit of Pi’. Amid the marketing speak, though, were the moments of pure brilliance:
Intelligent as it seems, Wolfram Alpha is not HAL 9000, and it wasn’t intended to be. It doesn’t have a sense of self or opinions or feelings. […] There is no risk of Wolfram Alpha becoming too smart, or taking over the world. It’s good at answering factual questions; it’s a computing machine, a tool — not a mind.
Well that’s okay, then. I must admit, I was a little worried for a minute there.
Comments
Except that so many other enterprising (and cynical) individuals will have hit upon that thought that you might as well go with what the computer recommended in the first place.
Popular opinion is nearly always wrong, after all 
Ah! A double bluff!
But I beat you to it – I was triple-bluffing, really!
(Translation: it will be useless for anything that is not factual…)
I think it is pretty unfair to announce something as potentially interesting as this but not to throw the doors open at the same time. I wanted to ask this mirror who is the fairest of them all but apparently it doesn’t start until May. Cyberdyne may have killed us all by then.
This could be immensely useful
For example, you could ask it what to invest in. Then, knowing that millions of others are asking the exact same question, do the precise opposite in the knowledge that the herd will push the market in your favour…
patently
March 9, 2009 at 11:57 am