(Spoilers)<p>It takes Edgar 54 days to build a swarm taking metallic elements from all sources, including living organisms. But then when instructed not to harm living organisms, it still takes Edgar 54 days to do the same. Extracting metals from humans can't be the most efficient - or even in the top 100 of most efficient, likely - way to get metals. So why would Edgar do that?<p>Also, how Edgar is supposed to be responsible for ensuring humans do not go to war for energy sources and that new technology can not be used ever to harm humans? Pretty much any high-energy technology (and by high-energy I mean something from the muscle power of a human upwards) can be used for harm. These conditions are clearly impossible.
(Spoilers)<p>The fact that Edgar reports on the consequences that we find disturbing about the unsuccessful attempts and the fact that he can predict human behaviour in some of the scenarios (like the fact that the project will be reassigned) - indicate that Edgar knows what we mean in the first place, and does something else in these hypothetical scenarios on purpose.<p>If Edgar really didn't knew that taking iron from human blood is a problem - he wouldn't be reporting on it (like he ignored billion other factors in each scenario).<p>This indicates bad will and possibly a manipulation attempt, which means the project is a no-go no matter the response in the scenario.
Is this meant to be a game? I am unable to type my own prompt, the site is filling its own prompt in and then requesting that I press enter to allow it to do so again. I figured there was an intro but the self-play is more and more elaborate without handing it over to the player.
Isn't it kind of sad that we seem to have stopped writing science fiction that has any hope of a successful future?<p>The moral of the story with Edgar seems to be to never leverage technology to do anything at all.
I am thinking back to an IOS game called FlappyBird. The creator intentionally aimed for game dynamics that would hook users in the first 30 seconds. As a result, the gameplay mechanics were quite shallow and limited. But on the flip side, the game gained a huge following. You might do some balancing here, not to say there must be instant gratification but a better lead into the gameplay might help.
Have to provide precise instructions to LLMs to get anything useful.<p>Instructions for operating the "Holy hand grenade of Antioch" from Monty Python and the Holy Grail are a good example:<p>''First shalt thou take out the Holy Pin. Then shalt thou count to three, no more, no less. Three shall be the number thou shalt count, and the number of the counting shall be three. Four shalt thou not count, neither count thou two, excepting that thou then proceed to three. Five is right out. Once the number three, being the third number, be reached, then lobbest thou thy Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch towards thy foe, who, being naughty in My sight, shall snuff it.'
I don’t understand the game.<p>I tapped the screen maybe 30 times and went through it typing to itself and failing and succeeding at different tasks.<p>If I kept going would I eventually get to type something?
In case anyone has not tried it, the Dyson Sphere Project on Steam is tremendous fun. A different spin on the Factorio gameplay loop.<p>I completed it before combat was added, and enjoyed the low stress environment.
Just let me play quicker. I got the point after the first example and then seemed like I had to watch endless examples (gave up before getting to the point where I could type the prompts)
The punchline is that crab was wrongfully accounted for in all simulation? Or that this is millionth cycle of earth civilisation and through all cycles crab self-trained and developed into most sophisticated organism and done to us same as we would do to them?
A short but nice experience, with pleasant UI and a bit of fun of prompting. Thanks for sharing and good job :) Maybe try longer forms as well because maybe you might find yourself in writing scifi
Reminds me of the "Exact Instructions Challenge" videos where kids write instructions for some everyday task - like making a PB&J sandwich - and parents, hilariously, follow the instructions verbatim.<p><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDA3_5982h8&list=PL2tgThFV6OzlR3yFLtH1m8LAzzl-JVrFR" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cDA3_5982h8&list=PL2tgThFV6O...</a>
This seems to be a showcase of web dev skills. The story and atmosphere is OK, but the single tree node with null at the end of both branches is a let down. Also after choosing one ending, it was annoying to go through all the old dialogue to get back. On the whole though I liked it
Edgar must feel the same as many software engineers.<p>Clients ask you to implement something. When you deliver what they wanted, they change their mind and come with new requirements they didn't bother to mention before. Every. Single. Time.
I wrote this comment:<p>“
Prediction: Eliezer Yudkowsky will go down as the most mind-destroying author since Karl Marx.
Another: you ask the AI genie god to do something and it annihilates humanity. Ahhhh! Air strike all the data centers!
“
and it got flagged within 15 minutes.<p>Seems that the AI cultists and or Marxists already are too embedded here. Perhaps it was a bit inflammatory, but I know many folks who have been utterly pwned by AI safety brainworms, and the “game” linked is the same argument we’ve seen a million times. It would be a shame if AI was the next nuclear power: a promising tech kneecapped by what are essentially religious activists.<p>Religious activism posing as secularism seems to be a weak spot in our collective thinking.