Intelligence Squared
Power Grab: David Runciman on the Reach of Corporations, States and AI
Jan 8, 2024
David Runciman, a Cambridge University politics professor and author of "The Handover," teams up with Adam McCauley, a Senior Policy Advisor in Canada's Defense Department. They dive deep into the powerful triad of corporations, states, and AI, exploring how these entities shape our lives and decision-making. Runciman highlights the dangers of superhuman capabilities lacking moral grounding, while McCauley discusses the necessity of navigating technology to protect democratic values. Their conversation underscores the need to realign corporate governance with human interests.
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Quick takeaways
- The book highlights the need to reengineer corporations to align them with human interests and global challenges such as climate change.
- Artificial agents, including AI, possess significant power but require control and understanding to avoid misalignment with human interests.
Deep dives
The Emergence of Artificial Agents
The Handover explores how humans have created artificial agents like states and corporations to deliver specific goods and services over centuries. These artificial agents, although powerful, have their limitations and a combination of human inputs and their superhuman abilities shape the outcomes they produce.
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