Yes. Intelligent life is a different question. Perhaps yes, perhaps no. Quite possible intelligence is extremely transitory.

Many benefits are possible, but unfortunately, the existing evidence is that intelligence does not change the essentially competitive nature of life forms. Therefore, if there is at least one intelligent and aggressively competitive life form, it probably exterminates all possible competitors, including us as soon as possible.

The strongest evidence is negative, but... Consider that with our very crude science we already have the technological capability to make a very powerful beacon. Imagine that at least one technological society had discovered an ETI and that that discovery had benefited their society on a long-term basis. Then it would be extremely natural for that society to repay the debt by setting up a powerful beacon for others to discover--and we should have detected it already. Much more so if they were stable and successful for a long time. We've had radio for a hundred years, but imagine how much more powerful a beacon we could create in a 1,000 or 100,000 years. If we survived that long and chose to do so.

2. Question was whether we should create a beacon.

Obviously not. Your civilization first. But in the negative case mentioned above, it is probably too late. Such an aggresive and hostile society would probably scatter sensitive detectors throughout their sphere of influence, and our radio and television broadcasts would be detected.

3. Question asked for feedback about s@h.

This question is apparently a joke. I already offered a number of thoughtful and useful suggestions, and they were NOT gratefully received. My opinion of the project management is not very high. However, this remains the only vaguely interesting game in town. It would be very interesting if it did succeed, though I would credit it to luck, persistence, and computational brute force.

Copyright 2001 SETI@home
Not sure how they can claim copyright on the stuff I wrote, but I'll state that I had no particular intention to relinquish my copyrights when I wrote it.