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Comment by strainer | Hacker News Reader

This triggers multiple levels of wonder. That the tune alone is compose-able from 256 bytes is uncanny. What would this have been like to witness in the 1980s ? -being as it could have been published as a relatively easy to type magazine listing.

The name "A Mind is Born" has special resonance at this time as there has never been more popular anticipation that artificial minds will soon be able to coalesce from the same kind of bitwise operations made visible and audible in this demo.

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This has a beginning that you may find interesting.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diaspora_(novel)

Its a powerful fantastic idea, but Im personally concerned that our human and animal conciousness should probably not be equated with virtual representations, no matter how accurate or convincing certain renderings might get. Mostly because I would never be fearful of switching a simulation off - for its "own sake". Im concerned that people can feel the same way about each other, if they believe in the equality of computed feelings.

So you are worried that virtual representation will lead you to close off your empathy for humans?

The alternative is to extend it to the simulations.

I wrote "our human and animal conciousness should probably not be equated with virtual representations"

Your reply did not follow... no empathy.

I think I understood what you wrote. I just doubt that some people extending empathy to virtual personalities will lead to meaningful numbers of other people retracting it from humans.

I half expect powerful futuristic AI to figure out and enlighten us as to the specialness of our conciousness, the transience of simulations, and perhaps to define the special arrangements required to create life of similar importance to ourselves, should we really wish to do so... in the non-traditional way.

yes! I loved the description of how that AI is created and becomes self conscious!!!

Indeed. I would argue that this is actually a 270 byte demo, as knowing the title is essential to the full experience. :-)

It would probably have been seen as proof of aliens and/or time travel back then.

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