AI researcher and historian, John Wild, delves into the disturbing roots of AI in eugenics and the rush for AGI despite warnings. He discusses reimagining AI as collaborative and decentralized. Podcast explores climate change's impact, unconscious intelligence in organisms, and the influence of cosmism on tech development.
A.I.'s roots in eugenicist thinking highlight its potential dark historical legacies and implications for equality and diversity in intelligence ranking.
Artificial intelligence should be reimagined as a decentralized, collaborative tool inspired by natural symbiotic relationships like mycelium networks for sustainability and ethical development.
Deep dives
The Drive for Artificial General Intelligence
The development of artificial general intelligence, equivalent to human intelligence, carries dark historical roots from Charles Spearman's G factor, initially linked to ranking human intelligence for selective breeding, stemming from eugenicist thinking.
Culture and Artificial Intelligence
John Wild discusses the energy-intensive nature and profit-driven motives behind artificial intelligence, highlighting the lack of understanding of its potential impact. Wild advocates for envisioning decentralized, symbiotic frameworks, such as using mycelium, to create sustainable and interconnected AI systems.
Artificial Intelligence Development and Historical Influences
Silicon Valley's aspiration for artificial general intelligence echoes ideas rooted in Russian cosmism from the late 19th century, emphasizing hierarchies of consciousness and intelligence. These ideologies, underpinning AI development, draw parallels to eugenicist thinking, reflecting a pursuit for superhuman intelligence beyond human realms.
Rethinking AI and Sustainability
Given the environmental impact of computing and AI development, the need for sustainable computing approaches like permacomputing is highlighted. Shifting towards environmentally conscious technological advancements and fostering symbiotic relationships akin to mycelium networks in AI design is proposed for a sustainable future.
What does artificial intelligence have in common with eugenics?
The first person to float the idea of a "general intelligence" was a eugenicist who was determined to rank intelligence according to race. This is just one of the legacies of A.I., a technology which Silicon Valley vehemently promises will transform the world, but which for now only consumes enormous quantities of energy. Despite the warnings from technologists around the world, for-profit companies are racing to develop A.G.I. no matter the costs.
Artist John Wild has traced the deep history of A.I., finding its roots in disturbing schools of thought which seek to raise the dead. He's also found where these histories are alive and kicking in C-Suite boardrooms. He joins me to reveal the disturbing imaginaries associated with A.I., and how we can begin to reimagine it as an entangled, decentralised, collaborative tool to create new ways of being.
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