Many people think that we're on the cusp of creating artificial general intelligence. And many accept this argument that was most extensively delineated in Nick Bostrom's 2014 book, Superintelligence. As soon as you get AGI, that system is gonna realize, well, if I'm smarter, then I can do whatever I'm supposed to do much better. So it will have an incentive to try to modify its source code in order to increase its cognitive abilities and problem solving abilities. Once you get ASI, artificial superintelligence, the future may be completely out of our control. There may be no way to influence its decisions and its behaviors once it exists.
Paris Marx is joined by Émile P. Torres to discuss the ongoing effort to sell effective altruism and longtermism to the public, and why they’re philosophies that won’t solve the real problems we face.
Émile P. Torres is a PhD candidate at Leibniz University Hannover and the author of the forthcoming book Human Extinction: A History of the Science and Ethics of Annihilation. Follow Émile on Twitter at @xriskology.
Tech Won’t Save Us offers a critical perspective on tech, its worldview, and wider society with the goal of inspiring people to demand better tech and a better world. Follow the podcast (@techwontsaveus) and host Paris Marx (@parismarx) on Twitter, and support the show on Patreon.
The podcast is produced by Eric Wickham and part of the Harbinger Media Network.
Also mentioned in this episode:
- Émile recently wrote about the ongoing effort to sell longtermism and effective altruism to the public.
- Peter Singer wrote an article published in 1972 arguing that rich people need to give to charity, which went on to influence effective altruists.
- NYT recently opined on whether it’s ethical for lawyers to defend climate villains.
- Nathan Robinson recently criticized effective altruism for Current Affairs.
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