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80k After Hours

Highlights: #213 – Will MacAskill on AI causing a “century in a decade” — and how we’re completely unprepared

Mar 25, 2025
Will MacAskill, a philosopher and AI safety researcher at the Forethought Centre, discusses the staggering potential of AI to compress a century's worth of change into a mere decade. He emphasizes the urgent need to prepare for rapid societal shifts and explores what a positive future with AGI might look like. MacAskill raises crucial concerns about the risks of societal lock-in and public distrust in utopian visions. He also delves into the ethical dilemmas surrounding AGI development and its profound impacts on governance and social values.
33:35

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Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

  • The podcast highlights the unprecedented pace of technological change predicted to compress a century’s worth of progress into merely a decade, creating governance challenges.
  • There is a pressing concern regarding the ethical coexistence of advanced AI with humanity, emphasizing the need for adaptable decision-making frameworks to avoid rigid ideologies.

Deep dives

Accelerated Technological Progress

The discussion emphasizes the rapid pace of technological advancement, envisioning a scenario where a century’s worth of progress occurs within a mere decade. This hypothetical situation would encompass groundbreaking innovations, such as the development of nuclear weapons, the internet, and AI, alongside significant social and political changes like decolonization and various ideological movements. It highlights the notion that human decision-making and institutions do not evolve at the same speed, creating potential governance challenges. Historical events like the Cuban Missile Crisis illustrate the dangers inherent in accelerated decision-making where critical choices must be made within drastically shortened timeframes.

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