So many of the people who opine about AI, its trajectory, and its possible effects on society, have latched on to one or two possible effects - like it overtaking jobs, or massively increasing misinformation. These are both very valid concerns, but they're only a tiny part of the big picture
The thinker who I perceive as having the best holistic (in the non-wooey sense of the word) understanding of how the rapid development of AI will affect this and a number of other social and existential risks is Daniel Schmachtenberger. He lays it out well in this episode of the Theories of Everything Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7WtcTATa2U&t=2373s
Highly recommend watching it, even if it's long. Some main points though:
- AI will increase the rate of development of every other technology it is applied to
- In fields like biotech, this can lead to cancer cures, but also to increasingly dangerous bioweapons
- Our current economic system is based on exponential economic growth in a limited resource world. AI applied in the service of profit will amplify this, leading us increasingly fast towards a number of tipping points. Of course, AI can also help steer us away from that path, but that is not the natural attractor
- Game theoretic multipolar traps (aka Moloch) incentivise arms races and races to the bottom just like we see now. Those who are willing to move fast and break things have an advantage in these dynamics vs. those who prefer to move slowly and carefully
- Cheaper and more efficient AI models will lead to increasing decentralisation of the technology, making it very hard to control - unlike current weapons of mass destruction
List goes on, but Daniel makes a much better case. Again, I would love to hear a good critique of his thinking, but haven't come across one yet
I really hope these doomsayers are wrong, but my suspicion is the risk is real. Unfortunately, I'm not sure what can be done about it, as the profit and power these AI's promise is going to be near impossible for humanity to resist.
So many of the people who opine about AI, its trajectory, and its possible effects on society, have latched on to one or two possible effects - like it overtaking jobs, or massively increasing misinformation. These are both very valid concerns, but they're only a tiny part of the big picture
The thinker who I perceive as having the best holistic (in the non-wooey sense of the word) understanding of how the rapid development of AI will affect this and a number of other social and existential risks is Daniel Schmachtenberger. He lays it out well in this episode of the Theories of Everything Podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7WtcTATa2U&t=2373s
Highly recommend watching it, even if it's long. Some main points though: - AI will increase the rate of development of every other technology it is applied to - In fields like biotech, this can lead to cancer cures, but also to increasingly dangerous bioweapons - Our current economic system is based on exponential economic growth in a limited resource world. AI applied in the service of profit will amplify this, leading us increasingly fast towards a number of tipping points. Of course, AI can also help steer us away from that path, but that is not the natural attractor - Game theoretic multipolar traps (aka Moloch) incentivise arms races and races to the bottom just like we see now. Those who are willing to move fast and break things have an advantage in these dynamics vs. those who prefer to move slowly and carefully - Cheaper and more efficient AI models will lead to increasing decentralisation of the technology, making it very hard to control - unlike current weapons of mass destruction
List goes on, but Daniel makes a much better case. Again, I would love to hear a good critique of his thinking, but haven't come across one yet