The Great Simplification with Nate Hagens
Daniel Schmachtenberger: "Artificial Intelligence and The Superorganism"
Episode guests
Podcast summary created with Snipd AI
Quick takeaways
- Narrow goal optimization can blind us to the interconnectedness of the world and limit our ability to perceive outside of our models of reality.
- Wisdom involves broader goal definition and consideration of long-term consequences, optimizing for wide boundary goals that prioritize the well-being of the entire system.
- The current progress narrative driven by narrow goal optimization has led to unintended consequences such as environmental degradation and societal challenges.
- Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) poses challenges in aligning it with wisdom to prevent catastrophic outcomes as it could surpass human-level intelligence and have autonomous decision-making powers.
- The competitive dynamics of the market contribute to the acceleration of the meta-crisis caused by unaligned AI, emphasizing the need for a fundamental shift in cultural goals and aspirations.
- A fundamental restructuring of AI development and governance is necessary, prioritizing ecological sustainability, social equity, and long-term well-being over narrow goals and profits.
Deep dives
The Unique Role of Human Intelligence
Human intelligence is distinct from other animal intelligence due to our ability to innovate and modify our environment. We have the capacity to create tools and technology that allow us to achieve goals beyond what other animals can accomplish.
The Limitations of Narrow Goal Optimization
The focus on narrow goals and the optimization of those goals can lead to unintended consequences and negative impacts on the overall system. Narrow goal optimization can blind us to the interconnectedness of the world and limit our ability to perceive outside of our models of reality.
The Importance of Wisdom in Guiding Intelligence
Wisdom is the ability to perceive the whole and make decisions that align with sustainable and desirable outcomes. It involves broader goal definition and consideration of long-term consequences. The distinction between intelligence and wisdom lies in the ability to optimize for wide boundary goals that prioritize the well-being of the entire system.
The Need for a Holistic Approach to Progress
The current progress narrative, driven by narrow goal optimization, has led to unintended consequences such as environmental degradation and societal challenges. To overcome these issues, we need to shift towards a wider boundary definition of progress, which considers multiple variables, stakeholders, and long-term sustainability.
The Emergence of Market Capitalism as a Form of Compute
Market capitalism, as an emergent response to societal challenges and the coordination of human intelligence, can be seen as an early form of compute. It harnesses collective human intelligence to optimize resource allocation and drive innovation. Capitalism's goal is profit maximization, which aligns with the objectives of the organizations that develop artificial intelligence (AI) systems.
The Power and Progression of AI
AI systems have demonstrated superior performance in narrow domains, far surpassing human capabilities. They can be trained to achieve specific goals, such as winning games like chess or Go, by learning and optimizing their strategies through massive amounts of data and computational power. Different organizations and groups develop their own AI systems with varying goals, ranging from profit maximization to national security.
The Challenge of Binding AI to Wisdom
While AI can achieve extraordinary feats in narrow domains, ensuring that it is bound by wisdom remains a challenge. Wisdom involves considering long-term consequences, broader societal impacts, and adhering to ethical principles. To address this, agreements and regulations must be in place to guide the development and deployment of AI systems. However, the competitive nature of AI development raises concerns about the effectiveness of such agreements and the potential for unilateral defection.
The Importance of AGI Alignment
The development of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) poses even greater challenges. AGI refers to a system that exhibits general human-level intelligence across a wide range of tasks. Aligning AGI with wisdom becomes crucial, as AGI systems could surpass human-level intelligence and have autonomous decision-making powers. Ensuring that AGI is developed and guided by wise principles and values becomes essential to prevent catastrophic outcomes.
The Consequences of Unbounded Intelligence
AI accelerates the meta-crisis in the world, amplifying the destructive tendencies of human intelligence unbound by wisdom. AI used by governments, militaries, and corporations for narrow goals, without considering the wider implications, exacerbates global problems and planetary boundaries. The pursuit of AI for profit and the competitive dynamics of the market contribute to this acceleration of the meta-crisis. The risk of unaligned artificial general intelligence (AGI) further intensifies the potential catastrophic outcomes. To address these challenges, there is a need for a fundamental shift in cultural goals and aspirations, as well as a restructuring of institutions and governance. Aligning AI with wisdom, perceiving the wholeness of interconnectedness, and prioritizing goals that serve the thriving of all life becomes imperative for shaping a more sustainable and inclusive future.
The Urgent Need for Collective Intelligence
AI presents the opportunity to enhance collective intelligence and wisdom, but it requires a shift from a me-based culture to a we-based culture. Education, cultural change, and leading by example can play a crucial role in nurturing this shift. By fostering a deeper sense of interconnectedness and recognizing the importance of a broader web of life, individuals can contribute to a more balanced and thoughtful approach to AI development. The cultivation of wisdom and the ability to perceive wholeness should guide the application of AI, moving away from narrow optimizations driven by short-term interests. The collective intelligence of societies needs to align with the wisdom and values that consider the impact on all life and future generations.
Reframing AI Development and Governance
A fundamental restructuring of AI development and governance is necessary to address the risks and consequences associated with its accelerated growth. The focus should shift from merely pursuing narrow goals and profits to encompass broader considerations, such as ecological sustainability, social equity, and long-term well-being. This requires reevaluating the current incentives and dynamics of markets, acknowledging the limitations of GDP-driven metrics, and reassessing the role of corporations and governments in shaping AI's development. The goal is to create a new system of collective intelligence that is guided by wisdom and values, ensuring the ethical and sustainable use of AI for the betterment of humanity and the interconnected web of life.
The Imperative for Restraint and Awareness
As AI progresses and becomes increasingly powerful, the need for restraint and awareness grows more urgent. The temptation to achieve rapid advancements without considering the potential consequences can lead to catastrophic outcomes. Cultivating a deeper understanding of the interplay between intelligence and wisdom is crucial. Recognizing the risks associated with unbounded artificial intelligence, fostering a culture that values holistic thinking, and prioritizing the thriving of all life are essential for charting a responsible path forward. While the challenges ahead are daunting, they also present an opportunity for individuals, communities, and societies to come together and collectively shape the future in a way that upholds the wisdom of interconnectedness and serves the well-being of all.
On this episode, Daniel Schmachtenberger returns to discuss a surprisingly overlooked risk to our global systems and planetary stability: artificial intelligence. Through a systems perspective, Daniel and Nate piece together the biophysical history that has led humans to this point, heading towards (and beyond) numerous planetary boundaries and facing geopolitical risks all with existential consequences. How does artificial intelligence, not only add to these risks, but accelerate the entire dynamic of the metacrisis? What is the role of intelligence vs wisdom on our current global pathway, and can we change course? Does artificial intelligence have a role to play in creating a more stable system or will it be the tipping point that drives our current one out of control?
About Daniel Schmachtenberger:
Daniel Schmachtenberger is a founding member of The Consilience Project, aimed at improving public sensemaking and dialogue.
The throughline of his interests has to do with ways of improving the health and development of individuals and society, with a virtuous relationship between the two as a goal.
Towards these ends, he’s had particular interest in the topics of catastrophic and existential risk, civilization and institutional decay and collapse as well as progress, collective action problems, social organization theories, and the relevant domains in philosophy and science.
For Show Notes and More visit: https://www.thegreatsimplification.com/episode/71-daniel-schmachtenberger
To watch this video episode on Youtube: https://youtu.be/_P8PLHvZygo
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