This Machine Kills 405. AI is the Demon God of Capital (ft. Hagen Blix)
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May 13, 2025 Hagen Blix, a linguist and cognitive scientist, co-authored 'Why We Fear AI' to explore the troubling intersection of artificial intelligence and capitalism. He discusses how AI amplifies the alienation central to capital, presenting a faceless power that inspires both fear and reverence. The dialogue dives into ethical dilemmas, the narratives shaping our understanding of AI, and the implications for labor and class dynamics. Blix questions what it means for AI to possess potential consciousness and the troubling data ownership issues that arise in a tech-driven society.
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Fear and AI's capitalist alienation
- The book explores why AI frightens us by linking technical AI qualities with capitalist alienation.
- AI appears as a fearful entity embodying capital’s power without a visible motivator.
LLMs: Statistical not cognitive
- Large language models rely on statistics, not linguistics or cognition, causing surprise among linguists.
- Models improved to produce coherent text but don't genuinely 'think' or understand language like humans.
AI's sentience is behavioral illusion
- AI chatbots behave like supercharged versions of the Chinese Room thought experiment, fooling people into thinking they are conscious.
- Our only way to judge sentience is through behavior and verbal abilities, causing misunderstanding about AI consciousness.
