/335/ AI & the End of the End of History
Added 2023-04-25 06:00:02 +0000 UTCOn history-ending technology.
[Patreon Exclusive]
The economist Tyler Cowen recently suggested that radical technological change today marks a turning point in history. Is he right, and how would we evaluate such a claim?
Should we be sceptical about these big claims, especially given all the Silicon Valley-driven hype around AI? Or is 'radical agnosticism' the right stance?
And what about calls to rein-in the development of artificial intelligence, especially when these calls come from Silicon Valley itself?
Readings:
- Existential risk, AI, and the inevitable turn in human history, Tyler Cowen, Marginal Revolution
- Is this the end of “The End of History”?, Robert Stark
- The call for an AI halt disguises the real problems with tech, Jason Walsh, Tech Central
- /306/ AI Capitalism: Inhuman Power (unlocked Bungacast Reading Club episode)
Comments
Quick note on Alex’s idea that we’ll have a very complete record of life in 2023 in 50 years. I don’t think we can take this for granted. We’re relying for these rich, accessible permanent archives on corporations who’ve already shown they have no commercial interest in preserving them. The social media companies, in particular, explicitly impede archiving efforts. The content is by definition fugitive and it’s stored on media with 10-30 years of useful life - after which it must be renewed. If there’s anything left at all in 2073 I’ll be surprised. Have you tried searching for a 2010 blog post lately?
Steve Bowbrick
2023-05-22 22:03:53 +0000 UTCThe reason you can tell that the six-month moratorium is bullshit is, to state the obvious, the proposed duration. It seems likely that the kind of pause that might actually contribute to preventing the annihilation of humanity ought to be maybe 600 years, or 60 years. At least six years (or maybe 'until the time travellers arrive'). But this moratorium is exactly two reporting periods long. Anything longer than that would have too great an impact on the annual numbers for the businesses involved. It’s a kind of comedy appeal. Not “load every trace of AI tech into a SpaceX rocket and fire it into the sun” but “hold on a minute while we get our shit together”
Steve Bowbrick
2023-05-22 21:57:03 +0000 UTC
