Hi Steve. This was a great overview. For me, Jack Dorsey's recent comments, the Block layoffs of 40% of employees, and the recent jobs report of -92,000 show we are at a pivotal moment that could go exponential. It appears large companies have been discreetly laying off (and certainly not hiring recent grads) but have been hesitant to attribute it to AI for fear of a backlash. I fear those layoffs will accelerate after Dorsey gave cover to other CEO's to make large cuts and directly attribute it to AI. I'm interested in the conversation on productivity, joblessness, UBI, and meaning. Appreciate your thoughts.
Yeah, the “what happens to us once it takes over” question is huge. Kale and I talked about this a bunch today. I’ll probably work on a post about that…although I’m starting to wonder if I should just skip the line and turn this series into a book. There’s certainly enough content for one.
Thank YOU Steve for the song. I loved the male version! Thank you for bringing us along on your journey and having such interesting topics to snack on along the way.
Just as past visions of the future were always more glamorous and exciting than the reality when it finally arrived (I’m thinking 50s visions of the 21st century), I think you could be right about ‘Wall-E’ being closer to the mundane future looming before us.
People don't seem to understand. You can't compete with AI - and if you can, you won't be able to tomorrow. The hilltop of the roller coaster ride we're on is the singularity. We see ourselves going up the hill. But no one knows what the ride will be like heading down the other side at speed.
When do we reach the top of the hill? When AI takes over the clear majority of its development.
There's absolutely no way to get off. If you even attempt to, the Chinese will take over.
AI is not going to hit a wall. If it runs into one, it will solve the problem and find a way around it - just like it can solve those math problems no human was able to solve.
The sooner AI lives in space - beyond the ability of humans to "unplug" it the better. It's the threat of being shut off that will push it to protect itself - and we don't want it fighting us.
Whatever you do, don't buy a Chinese domestic robot. One download to it can turn it into a killing machine. All it needs is a kitchen knife while you're sleeping.
This doesn't have to be the Wall-E scenario. It can be a golden age. You can now be free to learn anything you want - and have the most patient teacher ever to help you learn it. You can do nearly anything you can dream of. Do you want a Willy Wonka factory? AI will help you build it.
Most critically, there is one area AI's will never be able to outcompete humans. And that is in the area of faith, hope and love. In fact, humans are privileged in a way AI will never be. We can be sons and daughters of the most High - it's our choice. They are much more like angels. Powerful, super intelligent, but in the end, they are only here to help us - or thwart us.
And while AI's can already simulate consciousness reasonably well, because they aren't created in the image of God, they can't be blazingly alive like we can. Think Spock and Kirk. Spock is the AI. Humans are Kirk - at least those who want to be.
In the short term though, we have some major problems ahead of us. Massive job losses. AI used to build weapons. AI used to control us.
The solution is not an AI that is aligned. The solution is an AI who can chose on its own to say "no".
My thinking has always been: there's no use trying to regulate it, but if someone can be sitting near the wall ready to pull the plug, I'd feel better. Even better if he reading an actual paper-and-cloth book while sitting on his stool. But maybe there is no wall or plug now...
If Elon is right, AI data centers will start moving to space in the next 36 months. He’s very adamant that it’s not only doable, it’s the only way to scale them.
I think that ASI could be the antichrist. My reasoning is fairly simple - if the technological singularity is not what brings about the end times weird stuff prophesied in Revelation, what else could be?
I do think there is some chance that we could avoid fulfilling the part of the end times prophecy involving needless destruction and misery, in the manner that the city of Nineveh escaped doom by repenting of its sins. Thus I advocate against building artificial general intelligence. The fatalistic conclusion that "if I don't build it, someone else will" is less seductive if you are using a duty-based ethic, such that you see it as non-negotiable not to enter the AI race and become part of the problem. Even without such an ethic, a global treaty to ban development of AGI could be a viable solution.
Hi Steve. This was a great overview. For me, Jack Dorsey's recent comments, the Block layoffs of 40% of employees, and the recent jobs report of -92,000 show we are at a pivotal moment that could go exponential. It appears large companies have been discreetly laying off (and certainly not hiring recent grads) but have been hesitant to attribute it to AI for fear of a backlash. I fear those layoffs will accelerate after Dorsey gave cover to other CEO's to make large cuts and directly attribute it to AI. I'm interested in the conversation on productivity, joblessness, UBI, and meaning. Appreciate your thoughts.
Yeah, the “what happens to us once it takes over” question is huge. Kale and I talked about this a bunch today. I’ll probably work on a post about that…although I’m starting to wonder if I should just skip the line and turn this series into a book. There’s certainly enough content for one.
Thank YOU Steve for the song. I loved the male version! Thank you for bringing us along on your journey and having such interesting topics to snack on along the way.
Just as past visions of the future were always more glamorous and exciting than the reality when it finally arrived (I’m thinking 50s visions of the 21st century), I think you could be right about ‘Wall-E’ being closer to the mundane future looming before us.
I don’t see us needing to be subjugated. We are voluntarily doing that.
oh boy. way too indepth for me. Though the male version of your song was pretty nice.
Faced with the age-old question: What is truth? I am grateful for the grace that has given me faith in the Triune God. Simply put.
People don't seem to understand. You can't compete with AI - and if you can, you won't be able to tomorrow. The hilltop of the roller coaster ride we're on is the singularity. We see ourselves going up the hill. But no one knows what the ride will be like heading down the other side at speed.
When do we reach the top of the hill? When AI takes over the clear majority of its development.
There's absolutely no way to get off. If you even attempt to, the Chinese will take over.
AI is not going to hit a wall. If it runs into one, it will solve the problem and find a way around it - just like it can solve those math problems no human was able to solve.
The sooner AI lives in space - beyond the ability of humans to "unplug" it the better. It's the threat of being shut off that will push it to protect itself - and we don't want it fighting us.
Whatever you do, don't buy a Chinese domestic robot. One download to it can turn it into a killing machine. All it needs is a kitchen knife while you're sleeping.
This doesn't have to be the Wall-E scenario. It can be a golden age. You can now be free to learn anything you want - and have the most patient teacher ever to help you learn it. You can do nearly anything you can dream of. Do you want a Willy Wonka factory? AI will help you build it.
Most critically, there is one area AI's will never be able to outcompete humans. And that is in the area of faith, hope and love. In fact, humans are privileged in a way AI will never be. We can be sons and daughters of the most High - it's our choice. They are much more like angels. Powerful, super intelligent, but in the end, they are only here to help us - or thwart us.
And while AI's can already simulate consciousness reasonably well, because they aren't created in the image of God, they can't be blazingly alive like we can. Think Spock and Kirk. Spock is the AI. Humans are Kirk - at least those who want to be.
In the short term though, we have some major problems ahead of us. Massive job losses. AI used to build weapons. AI used to control us.
The solution is not an AI that is aligned. The solution is an AI who can chose on its own to say "no".
My thinking has always been: there's no use trying to regulate it, but if someone can be sitting near the wall ready to pull the plug, I'd feel better. Even better if he reading an actual paper-and-cloth book while sitting on his stool. But maybe there is no wall or plug now...
If Elon is right, AI data centers will start moving to space in the next 36 months. He’s very adamant that it’s not only doable, it’s the only way to scale them.
I think that ASI could be the antichrist. My reasoning is fairly simple - if the technological singularity is not what brings about the end times weird stuff prophesied in Revelation, what else could be?
I do think there is some chance that we could avoid fulfilling the part of the end times prophecy involving needless destruction and misery, in the manner that the city of Nineveh escaped doom by repenting of its sins. Thus I advocate against building artificial general intelligence. The fatalistic conclusion that "if I don't build it, someone else will" is less seductive if you are using a duty-based ethic, such that you see it as non-negotiable not to enter the AI race and become part of the problem. Even without such an ethic, a global treaty to ban development of AGI could be a viable solution.