Dwarkesh Podcast

Joseph Carlsmith - Utopia, AI, & Infinite Ethics

Aug 3, 2022

Joseph Carlsmith, a senior research analyst at Open Philanthropy and a philosophy doctoral student at Oxford, dives into the fascinating interplay between utopia and artificial intelligence. He discusses the ethical implications of AI development and the concept of infinite ethics, reshaping our understanding of decision-making in an infinite universe. Carlsmith also critiques the recklessness of humanity's present actions, urging a long-term perspective, and examines the complexities of human versus AI computational power. His insights provoke deep reflections on the future.

01:31:21

Creator website

Episode guests

Joseph Carlsmith

Highlights

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Envisioning a Radically Better Future

01:23

Pursue Passion Projects for Depth and Insight

00:27

Embrace the Infinite: Ethics Must Expand Beyond Limits

01:24

Intro

2min

Exploring Existential Risks and Future Priority Dynamics

4min

The Dichotomy of Inside and Outside Perspectives on Ideological Commitment

2min

Reflecting on Youthful Recklessness and Future Regrets

2min

Navigating Utopian Visions

18min

Brain vs. AI: Estimating Computational Power

12min

Ethics in an Infinite Universe

21min

Debating Existence: SIA vs. SSA

17min

Navigating Futurism's Challenges

6min

10.

Navigating Optimism in Writing

8min

Joseph Carlsmith is a senior research analyst at Open Philanthropy and a doctoral student in philosophy at the University of Oxford.

We discuss utopia, artificial intelligence, computational power of the brain, infinite ethics, learning from the fact that you exist, perils of futurism, and blogging.

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Episode website + Transcript here.

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Timestamps

(0:00:06) - Introduction

(0:02:53) - How to Define a Better Future?

(0:09:19) - Utopia

(0:25:12) - Robin Hanson’s EMs

(0:27:35) - Human Computational Capacity

(0:34:15) - FLOPS to Emulate Human Cognition?

(0:40:15) - Infinite Ethics

(1:00:51) - SIA vs SSA

(1:17:53) - Futurism & Unreality

(1:23:36) - Blogging & Productivity

(1:28:43) - Book Recommendations

(1:30:04) - Conclusion

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