Future computer or algorithm that could run a government or government branch

[polisny]

Hi, I realize that my theme is only partly about "new technologies" but I'm not sure where to place it. The thing is, I've asked the question on different forums and most people don't really have an answer. Some say yes, it could definitely work, others say no, it'd be totally impossible. Others say yes, but we would never allow it. My question is more about how it could work if it could work. So, assuming that it could work, what basic steps might have to be in place for a computer to be able to operate and process so much information as to run a government or branch of government? The executive or legislative or judicial branches, for example. Would certain kinds of algorithm need be in place? (I ask about a "certain kinds of algorithm" because I don't know hardly anything about computers technically speaking.) For example, maybe a (future) quantum computer or memcomputer would be better equipped to run certain parts of the government than a normal universal Turing machine.

Some people confuse willpower and consciousness for a computer's running a government in thinking that if the computer doesn't have human-like general intelligence then it wouldn't be able to operate as so abstract and complicated a level. However, maybe a good lot of what a government does could be handled not by one computer, but say an network of (future) supercomputers, again, say quantum or memmachines.

Could anyone suggest some of what would need to be in place for such a network of computers to handle so much information? Let me give you an example, by the way, if you simply can't envisage computers running what in synonomous terms may as well be an empire. Amazon! Amazon is more or less, well, it's one of the biggest companies in the world. (That's pretty big). To give you an idea of what that means, If Wal-Mart were a country, its revenues would make it on par with the GDP of the 25th largest economies in the world, surpassing 157 smaller countries! So, if a computer can run that, why wouldn't it be able to run a government? Look: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tg2lcTdloIQ

So, yeah, I guess my question is, how could we do it in theory using would would likely have to be future availabilities, such as quantum or mem-technologies?

 

[root]

weirdly this co-incides with a series of programs on british TV this week about the future of computing.
and a report by Deloitte that points out that many lower end skilled jobs are being replaced by software...

Where they are defining lower end skilled jobs as proof reading contracts (so computers are replacing junior solicitors/lawyers)

there was a program on the "panorama" program on Monday night that looked at computers in call centers, the tax office for example in the UK is now not an office of people answering phones and directing people, but a series of online forms, websites, automated call answering (press 1 for yes 2 for no etc) robots that direct you places.

There is software and algorithms that are deployed that consider parole hearings.

if you look at the insurance industry there are programs that detect fraud better than humans ever could (and government sponsored businesses that look at that kind of stuff)


basically, in a lot of places machines have already taken a lot of government jobs, (as well as private sector ones) and that's not limited to just grunt jobs, it's also paralegals jobs, and investigative jobs, and computer are making decisions about individual liberties right now today.

long story short, a computer probably could replace a government, and no it wouldn't take anything amazingly special.