Distinguishing Tools from Agents

Beatrice works at the Foresight Institute running their Existential Hope program. She joins the podcast to discuss the AI pathways project, which explores two alternative scenarios to the default race toward AGI. We examine tool AI, which prioritizes human oversight and democratic control, and d/acc, which emphasizes decentralized, defensive development. The conversation covers trade-offs between safety and speed, how these pathways could be combined, and what different stakeholders can do to steer toward more positive AI futures.

LINKS:
AI Pathways - https://ai-pathways.existentialhope.com
Beatrice Erkers - https://www.existentialhope.com/team/beatrice-erkers

CHAPTERS:
(00:00) Episode Preview
(01:10) Introduction and Background
(05:40) AI Pathways Project
(11:10) Defining Tool AI
(17:40) Tool AI Benefits
(23:10) D/acc Pathway Explained
(29:10) Decentralization Trade-offs
(35:10) Combining Both Pathways
(40:10) Uncertainties and Concerns
(45:10) Future Evolution
(01:01:21) Funding Pilots

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SOCIAL LINKS:

Website: https://podcast.futureoflife.org

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Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/2Op1WO3gwVwCrYHg4eoGyP