#32 - Scott Aaronson - The Race to AGI and Quantum Supremacy

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Dec 4, 2024

Scott Aaronson, a theoretical computer scientist and former OpenAI researcher, dives into AI safety and quantum computing. He shares insights from his time at OpenAI's superalignment team and discusses the P vs NP problem with engaging analogies. The conversation also touches on the potential of quantum computing to disrupt cryptography and its race among tech giants. Plus, Aaronson proposes a new religion in the context of AGI. Their chat masterfully blends deep theory with pressing real-world concerns.

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ANECDOTE

OpenAI Sabbatical

Scott Aaronson joined OpenAI for a one-year sabbatical in 2022 to work on AI safety.
Despite initial skepticism, the role intrigued him, focusing on theoretical foundations and allowing remote work.

INSIGHT

AI Alignment Challenges

Aaronson admits difficulty in fully defining AI alignment mathematically.
He worked on more concrete problems like watermarking AI outputs for easier identification.

INSIGHT

Watermarking AI Content

AI detection tools struggle to keep up with rapidly improving language models.
Watermarking offers a solution by embedding detectable signals within AI-generated content.

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How fast is the AI race really going? What is the current state of Quantum Computing? What actually *is* the P vs NP problem? - former OpenAI researcher and theoretical computer scientist Scott Aaronson joins Liv and Igor to discuss everything quantum, AI and consciousness. We hear about his experience working on OpenAI's "superalignment team", whether quantum computers might break Bitcoin, the state of University Admissions, and even a proposal for a new religion! Strap in for a fascinating conversation that bridges deep theory with pressing real-world concerns about our technological future.

Chapters:

1:30 - Working at OpenAI 4:23 - His Approaches to AI Alignment 6:23 - Watermarking & Detection of AI content 19:15 - P vs. NP 27:11 - The Current State of AI Safety 37:38 - Bad "Just-a-ism" Arguments around LLMs 48:25 - What Sets Human Creativity Apart from AI 55:30 - A Religion for AGI? 1:00:49 - More Moral Philosophy 1:05:24 - The AI Arms Race 1:11:08 - The Government Intervention Dilemma 1:23:28 - The Current State of Quantum Computing 1:36:25 - Will QC destroy Cryptography? 1:48:55 - Politics on College Campuses 2:03:11 - Scott's Childhood & Relationship with Competition 2:23:25 - Rapid-fire Predictions

Links:

♾️ Scott’s Blog: ⁠https://scottaaronson.blog/⁠

♾️ Scott’s Book: ⁠https://www.amazon.com/Quantum-Computing-since-Democritus-Aaronson/dp/0521199565⁠

♾️ QIC at UTA: https://www.cs.utexas.edu/~qic/ Credits

Credits:

♾️ Hosted by Liv Boeree and Igor Kurganov

♾️ Produced by Liv Boeree

♾️ Post-Production by Ryan Kessler

The Win-Win Podcast:

Poker champion Liv Boeree takes to the interview chair to tease apart the complexities of one of the most fundamental parts of human nature: competition. Liv is joined by top philosophers, gamers, artists, technologists, CEOs, scientists, athletes and more to understand how competition manifests in their world, and how to change seemingly win-lose games into Win-Wins.

#WinWinPodcast #QuantumComputing #AISafety #LLM