Expand the Island

Rather than constraining AGI to stay within human limitations, this approach suggests expanding human capabilities to match or complement AGI abilities. Through cognitive enhancement, brain-computer interfaces, genetic modification, or other augmentation technologies, we could make humans more capable of participating in an AGI-dominated world.

The goal is to "expand the island" of human-compatible systems by making humans themselves more capable of operating in the broader space of possible systems.

Potential benefits:

• Humans could potentially keep pace with AGI development and maintain oversight
• Enhanced humans might be able to understand and interact with supercomplex AGI systems
• The "island" of human-compatible systems becomes larger and more robust

However, this approach faces significant challenges:

• Speed of Development: Human enhancement may not keep pace with AGI development, creating a dangerous gap period.
• Fundamental Limits: Even enhanced humans may hit biological or physical limits that AGIs can surpass.
• Enhancement Risks: Human augmentation technologies could be dangerous, potentially causing new problems before solving the AGI problem.
• Social Disruption: Widespread human enhancement could create new forms of inequality and social conflict.
• Competitive Pressure: Enhanced humans still face the same competitive pressures as AGIs — to use the most optimal systems available, which may still lead away from human-compatible options.

While expanding human capabilities is promising, it may only delay rather than solve the fundamental divergence problem.