The History of Computing

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In some sense, people program. They build a computer and run it just to answer your question about what the system does after 50 steps. But they've created something which is then doing something different than what's happening in their minds. So by the way, humans, do you didn't invent computers? They discovered computation, which they invented the technology of computers.

Stephen Wolfram is a computer scientist, mathematician, theoretical physicist, and the founder of Wolfram Research, a company behind Wolfram|Alpha, Wolfram Language, and the Wolfram Physics and Metamathematics projects. Please support this podcast by checking out our sponsors:
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OUTLINE:
Here’s the timestamps for the episode. On some podcast players you should be able to click the timestamp to jump to that time.
(00:00) – Introduction
(06:45) – WolframAlpha and ChatGPT
(26:26) – Computation and nature of reality
(53:18) – How ChatGPT works
(1:53:01) – Human and animal cognition
(2:06:20) – Dangers of AI
(2:14:39) – Nature of truth
(2:36:01) – Future of education
(3:12:03) – Consciousness
(3:21:02) – Second Law of Thermodynamics
(3:44:36) – Entropy
(3:57:36) – Observers in physics
(4:14:27) – Mortality