The Potentiality of AI

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It seems like there's so many different lines of scientific research right now that could just be earth shattering. For example, brain computer interfaces, where if we could actually hook a computer into our brain, what could that do to society or humanity? Or another one is bioengineering not only the ability to create viruses which could destroy the world but also create viruses that could reprogram people's DNA as adults. And it feels like the kind of the wisdom to navigate these kinds of technologies in a deliberate careful way. I just don't see the appetite for it right now. There's definitely a societal conversation like are we moving too fast? Should we slow things down? Should we move in faster?

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Where does innovation come from? How common is it for "lone wolf" scientists to make large leaps in innovation by themselves? How can we imbue AIs with creativity? Or, conversely, how can we apply advances in AI creativity to our own personal creative processes? How do creative strategies that work well for individuals differ from creative strategies that work well for groups? To what extent are models like DALL-E and ChatGPT "creative"? Can machines love? Or can they only ever pretend to love? We've worried a fair bit about AI misalignment; but what should we do about the fact that so many humans are misaligned with humanity's own interests? What might it mean to be "reverent" towards science?

Joel Lehman is a machine learning researcher interested in algorithmic creativity, AI safety, artificial life, and intersections of AI with psychology and philosophy. Most recently he was a research scientist at OpenAI co-leading the Open-Endedness team (studying algorithms that can innovate endlessly). Previously he was a founding member of Uber AI Labs, first employee of Geometric Intelligence (acquired by Uber), and a tenure track professor at the IT University of Copenhagen. He co-wrote with Kenneth Stanley a popular science book called Why Greatness Cannot Be Planned on what AI search algorithms imply for individual and societal accomplishment. Follow him on Twitter at @joelbot3000 or email him at lehman.154@gmail.com.

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