The Unbounded Power of Super Intelligence

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The way you talk about super intelligence reminds me a lot of how medieval theologians talked about God. It's unbounded, it can do anything except maybe create a rock so heavy, it can't move it. Another important difference is that we would get to design this entity.

Nick Bostrom of the University of Oxford talks with EconTalk host Russ Roberts about his book, Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies. Bostrom argues that when machines exist which dwarf human intelligence they will threaten human existence unless steps are taken now to reduce the risk. The conversation covers the likelihood of the worst scenarios, strategies that might be used to reduce the risk and the implications for labor markets, and human flourishing in a world of superintelligent machines.