George Hotz is a renowned tech innovator known for jailbreaking devices, and he's currently focusing on AI at MicroGrad. Connor Leahy emphasizes AI safety at Conjecture. They debate whether creating beneficial AI aligned with human values is achievable, with Hotz arguing against it while Leahy believes it's solvable. The discussion also touches on the distribution of AI power to prevent dominance and the urgent need for alignment to avoid danger. They tackle the balance between open access and governance in AI's future, concluding that coordination is essential.
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insights INSIGHT
Inevitable Intelligence Growth
The increase in global power and intelligence is inevitable, barring a major catastrophe.
Distributing AI widely prevents single-entity domination, so open-sourcing is crucial.
insights INSIGHT
Misuse and Control Problems
Misuse of controlled AGI by bad actors poses a severe risk, potentially leading to suffering worse than death (S-risks).
Unsolved technical control problems may lead to AIs fighting amongst themselves, ignoring humans entirely.
question_answer ANECDOTE
Unexpected Civility
Connor Leahy saw a video of a parliamentarian being accosted, but nobody resorted to violence.
This surprising civility demonstrates unusual coordination and alignment within modern society.
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George Hotz and Connor Leahy discuss the crucial challenge of developing beneficial AI that is aligned with human values. Hotz believes truly aligned AI is impossible, while Leahy argues it's a solvable technical challenge. Hotz contends that AI will inevitably pursue power, but distributing AI widely would prevent any single AI from dominating. He advocates open-sourcing AI developments to democratize access. Leahy counters that alignment is necessary to ensure AIs respect human values. Without solving alignment, general AI could ignore or harm humans. They discuss whether AI's tendency to seek power stems from optimization pressure or human-instilled goals. Leahy argues goal-seeking behavior naturally emerges while Hotz believes it reflects human values. Though agreeing on AI's potential dangers, they differ on solutions. Hotz favors accelerating AI progress and distributing capabilities while Leahy wants safeguards put in place. While acknowledging risks like AI-enabled weapons, they debate whether broad access or restrictions better manage threats. Leahy suggests limiting dangerous knowledge, but Hotz insists openness checks government overreach. They concur that coordination and balance of power are key to navigating the AI revolution. Both eagerly anticipate seeing whose ideas prevail as AI progresses.
Transcript and notes: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1smkmBY7YqcrhejdbqJOoZHq-59LZVwu-DNdM57IgFcU/edit?usp=sharing
Note: this is not a normal episode i.e. the hosts are not part of the debate (and for the record don't agree with Connor or George).
TOC:
[00:00:00] Introduction to George Hotz and Connor Leahy
[00:03:10] George Hotz's Opening Statement: Intelligence and Power
[00:08:50] Connor Leahy's Opening Statement: Technical Problem of Alignment and Coordination
[00:15:18] George Hotz's Response: Nature of Cooperation and Individual Sovereignty
[00:17:32] Discussion on individual sovereignty and defense
[00:18:45] Debate on living conditions in America versus Somalia
[00:21:57] Talk on the nature of freedom and the aesthetics of life
[00:24:02] Discussion on the implications of coordination and conflict in politics
[00:33:41] Views on the speed of AI development / hard takeoff
[00:35:17] Discussion on potential dangers of AI
[00:36:44] Discussion on the effectiveness of current AI
[00:40:59] Exploration of potential risks in technology
[00:45:01] Discussion on memetic mutation risk
[00:52:36] AI alignment and exploitability
[00:53:13] Superintelligent AIs and the assumption of good intentions
[00:54:52] Humanity’s inconsistency and AI alignment
[00:57:57] Stability of the world and the impact of superintelligent AIs
[01:02:30] Personal utopia and the limitations of AI alignment
[01:05:10] Proposed regulation on limiting the total number of flops
[01:06:20] Having access to a powerful AI system
[01:18:00] Power dynamics and coordination issues with AI
[01:25:44] Humans vs AI in Optimization
[01:27:05] The Impact of AI's Power Seeking Behavior
[01:29:32] A Debate on the Future of AI
Machine Learning Street Talk (MLST) 