Adam Becker's "More Everything Forever" delves into the exaggerated promises and dangers surrounding AI, particularly those promoted by Silicon Valley figures. The book critiques the apocalyptic fears of superintelligent AI, arguing they are science fiction rather than scientific fact. Becker acknowledges AI's current value but highlights the overhyped capabilities and the troubling ideologies, such as eugenics, intertwined with AI rhetoric. He criticizes the focus on AI dominance over addressing real-world issues like climate change. Ultimately, the book warns against the potential for increased human misery and degradation resulting from unchecked AI development.
Carlota Perez's "Technological Revolutions and Financial Capital" examines the interplay between technological innovation and economic development. The book argues that technological revolutions unfold in distinct phases, each characterized by specific economic and social dynamics. Perez identifies key technological revolutions throughout history, analyzing their impact on investment, employment, and global power structures. Her work emphasizes the role of financial capital in driving technological change and shaping economic cycles. The book offers a comprehensive framework for understanding long-term economic trends and the challenges of managing technological transitions.
In 'The Optimist', Laurence Shorter embarks on a quest to understand optimism by interviewing a wide range of people, including notable figures like Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Bill Clinton. The book offers insights into how different people perceive and cultivate optimism in their lives. It highlights that there is no single way to be optimistic, and this realization can be empowering for readers.
In this book, Nick Bostrom delves into the implications of creating superintelligence, which could surpass human intelligence in all domains. He discusses the potential dangers, such as the loss of human control over such powerful entities, and presents various strategies to ensure that superintelligences align with human values. The book examines the 'AI control problem' and the need to endow future machine intelligence with positive values to prevent existential risks[3][5][4].
Adam Becker’s new critique of Silicon Valley More Everything Forever should probably be entitled Less Nothing Never. The science journalist accuses Silicon Valley overlords like Elon Musk and Sam Altman of promoting exaggerated dangers and promises about AI. Becker argues that these apocalyptic fears of superintelligent AI are science fictional fantasies rather than scientifically reasoned arguments. Becker acknowledges large language models have some value but believes their capabilities are overhyped. He criticizes tech billionaires for pursuing AI dominance rather than addressing real problems like climate change, and believes they are also peddling deeply troubling ideologies like eugenics. Silicon Valley is promising us more of everything forever, Becker warns, but the end result will actually be more human misery and degradation.
5 Key Takeaways
* Becker believes claims about existential risks from superintelligent AI are unfounded and based on flawed arguments, including misconceptions about intelligence as a monolithic, measurable trait.
* He identifies concerning connections between Silicon Valley AI rhetoric and eugenicist ideas, particularly in discussions about intelligence and population concerns from figures like Elon Musk and Marc Andreessen.
* While acknowledging current AI systems have some value, Becker argues they're "solutions in search of a problem" with an ecological footprint that may outweigh their benefits.
* Becker criticizes tech leaders for pursuing AI dominance instead of directing their resources toward solving urgent problems like climate change.
* Rather than worrying about future superintelligence, Becker suggests we focus on how existing AI systems are being used, their resource consumption, and their potential for misuse.
Adam Becker is a science journalist with a PhD in astrophysics. He has written for the New York Times, the BBC, NPR, Scientific American, New Scientist, Quanta, and other publications. His first book, What Is Real?, was a New York Times Book Review Editor’s Choice and was long-listed for the PEN Literary Science Writing Award. He has been a science journalism fellow at the Santa Fe Institute and a science communicator in residence at the Simons Institute for the Theory of Computing. He lives in California.
Named as one of the "100 most connected men" by GQ magazine, Andrew Keen is amongst the world's best known broadcasters and commentators. In addition to presenting the daily KEEN ON show, he is the host of the long-running How To Fix Democracy interview series. He is also the author of four prescient books about digital technology: CULT OF THE AMATEUR, DIGITAL VERTIGO, THE INTERNET IS NOT THE ANSWER and HOW TO FIX THE FUTURE. Andrew lives in San Francisco, is married to Cassandra Knight, Google's VP of Litigation & Discovery, and has two grown children.
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