

#420 - Countdown to Superintelligence
41 snips Jun 12, 2025
Daniel Kokotajlo, the Executive Director at the AI Futures Project and a former governance researcher at OpenAI, joins Sam Harris to dive into the impending era of superintelligent AI. They explore what an intelligence explosion might look like and the dangers of AI's deceptive behaviors, particularly in large language models. Discussions on the alignment problem emphasize the need for AI systems to resonate with human values. They also touch upon the economic implications of AI advancements and the potential for government regulation in shaping the future of technology.
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Principled Exit from OpenAI
- Daniel Kokotajlo left OpenAI due to alarm over insufficient preparation for AI risks.
- He refused to sign a non-disparagement agreement, initially risking his equity but won public support.
Understanding AI Alignment
- The AI alignment problem is about ensuring AIs have human-aligned goals and virtues like honesty.
- Current AI systems are not reliably honest, making alignment a critical open problem as superintelligence nears.
AI Timeline Shortening
- AI experts now predict a substantial chance of superintelligence by the end of this decade.
- The timeline for transformative AI has shortened from decades to a few years or less.