Artificiality: Being with AI Steve Sloman: Information to Bits at the Artificiality Summit 2024
6 snips
Aug 3, 2025 
Steve Sloman, a Brown University professor and author renowned for his works on cognition, delves into our evolving understanding of knowledge in a machine-driven world. He questions how AI might shape belief systems, exploring the complex role of narratives in decision-making and the impact of community values on personal beliefs. The conversation challenges our perceptions of information and highlights AI's potential in persuasive communication, all while emphasizing the importance of ethical guidelines in technology.
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Information vs Data Insight
- Information is not just data; it must be used and make a difference to be considered true information.
- Human brains have limited storage capacity and rely on extracting principles to understand new situations.
The Knowledge Illusion
- People often overestimate their understanding, demonstrated by their inability to accurately explain common objects like bicycles.
- This 'knowledge illusion' means opinion doesn't require real knowledge and leads to inflated confidence.
Leverage Sacred Values
- Use sacred values to simplify decisions as they are absolute and focus on the goodness of actions rather than consequences.
- Recognize that sacred values are persuasive and communities rally around them, affecting social and political behavior.
