Ask Slashdot: Best Way To Learn About Game Theory and AI?

xmojox writes "I would like to learn more about Artificial Intelligence and Game Theory. I know these are both large areas of study; however, my main interest is in how these affect decisions in the world. This would include politicians, business people, and general society. I'm not looking for a career or anything; this is just a personal interest of mine. Where are good places to start in these areas for somebody new to them? I'm aware of the Stanford on-line classes, but those don't work with my current schedule."

Re:Less Wrong

[GrimmParoD]

You should be careful with communities assembled around prohibited subject matter. Game theory is one thing - Singularity class AI would be so disruptive that it may be assumed unregulated advances in the field could get you 'cleaned up' in pretty short order. People peddling entre into communities gathered around such subjects should be considered suspect unless they openly tell you that any significant contribution will likely come with total loss of your freedoms.

This fact gets conveniently left out of literature from Singularitarians in particular, but should be logically apparent to anyone actually deserving of being included in such an effort. If you must work on AI, either work alone and air-gapped, or alone and on a machine from which you periodically notify the NSA of your intentions to overrun the world with sentient kill-bots. Both of those options are better than walking into what should be an obvious death-trap.

The existence of security based prohibitions may suck, but it doesn't increase freedom to associate with individuals who are so obviously positioning to catch indies in a highly regulated field.

My advice, forget 'game-theory'/AI terminology and work on non-verbal thought processes via extended meditation. If you must use language, develop your own compaction routines with cipher keys bundled for obviousness - don't resort to natural language when attempting to make a leap across semantic boundaries. Trying to separate the expansion of logical processes from the compaction of logical processes is largely useless, and the security bump from obvious behaviors will pay off if you get popped for making progress.

Better to go get laid and have kids if you want to study emergent systems. Just MHO. Now where did I misplace my breeding stock? Hrm... Not here in Mom's basement.. *wanders off*