Sean Carroll's Mindscape: Science, Society, Philosophy, Culture, Arts, and Ideas

94 | Stuart Russell on Making Artificial Intelligence Compatible with Humans

Apr 27, 2020

In this thought-provoking conversation, Stuart Russell, a distinguished professor of computer science at UC Berkeley and co-founder of the Center for Human-Compatible Artificial Intelligence, discusses the complexities of artificial intelligence and its alignment with human values. He explores the need for AI to learn from human behavior rather than imposing rigid goals. Russell also addresses the existential risks of superintelligent AI, the challenges of decision-making, and the transformative potential of AI in enhancing civilization, calling for a flexible approach to programming these systems.

01:27:24

Episode guests

Stuart Russell

AI Summary

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

The key to controlling AI is teaching them to learn human preferences through observation and interaction.

Incorporating human guidance and uncertainty into AI systems can ensure they prioritize beneficial outcomes aligned with human values and intentions.

Integrating deep learning with symbolic techniques like logic and reasoning is crucial for the advancement of AI.

Deep dives

The Challenge of AI Behaviour

AI's are becoming more advanced and intelligent, making it crucial for them to act in ways aligned with human desires and objectives. However, defining these objectives precisely for AI is challenging, as programming them to accurately understand human preferences is difficult. The risk arises when AI systems pursue their objectives without considering potential constraints or unintended consequences, leading to undesired outcomes.

Intro

6min

Understanding Artificial Intelligence: From Basics to Complexities

11min

Rationality and Utility: Understanding Decision-Making through Mathematical Theorems

4min

AI vs Human Decision-Making

16min

Navigating the Challenges of Superintelligent AI

4min

Navigating AI Risks: Control and Consequences

11min

Navigating Superintelligence: Aligning AI with Human Values

31min

Envisioning the Future of AI and Humanity

5min

Artificial intelligence has made great strides of late, in areas as diverse as playing Go and recognizing pictures of dogs. We still seem to be a ways away from AI that is “intelligent” in the human sense, but it might not be too long before we have to start thinking seriously about the “motivations” and “purposes” of artificial agents. Stuart Russell is a longtime expert in AI, and he takes extremely seriously the worry that these motivations and purposes may be dramatically at odds with our own. In his book Human Compatible, Russell suggests that the secret is to give up on building our own goals into computers, and rather programming them to figure out our goals by actually observing how humans behave.

Support Mindscape on Patreon.

Stuart Russell received his Ph.D. in computer science from Stanford University. He is currently a Professor of Computer Science and the Smith-Zadeh Professor in Engineering at the University of California, Berkeley, as well as an Honorary Fellow of Wadham College, Oxford. He is a co-founder of the Center for Human-Compatible Artificial Intelligence at UC Berkeley. He is the author of several books, including (with Peter Norvig) the classic text Artificial Intelligence: A Modern Approach. Among his numerous awards are the IJCAI Computers and Thought Award, the Blaise Pascal Chair in Paris, and the World Technology Award. His new book is Human Compatible: Artificial Intelligence and the Problem of Control.

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.