Brendan McCord, founder and Chair of the Cosmos Institute, stands at the crossroads of AI and philosophy, advocating for a new breed of technologist: the Philosopher-Builder. He explores the dangers of relying too heavily on AI for decision-making, warning against the potential loss of human agency. McCord calls for a revival of ethical considerations in tech, critiquing Silicon Valley's moral decline. By blending philosophical thought with innovation, he envisions a future where technology enhances human flourishing and autonomy.
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insights INSIGHT
AI Threatens Human Agency
AI automation tempts us to outsource judgment and decision-making entirely.
Overreliance on AI risks hollowing out human agency and self-direction.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Use Philosophy in Tech Building
Apply philosophical scrutiny to technology development to contemplate what and why we build.
Resist reducing morality to computable elements or dismissing philosophical relevance in tech.
insights INSIGHT
Three Technologist Archetypes
Technologists fall into three categories: puzzle absorbed, reductionists, and dismissers of philosophy.
None fully engage with the ethical implications of their AI creations.
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The world creates moments when philosophy truly matters. This is one of those moments.
As AI continues to make our lives more convenient, the temptation to use it to outsource judgment will also grow, threatening to erode human decision-making altogether. Brendan McCord, founder of Cosmos Institute, has spent his career advancing AI in the private and national security sectors. Led by a foundation in both technology and philosophy, he is proposing a new kind of technologist – a Philosopher-Builder – that could guide planetary-scale decision-making technology. According to McCord, approaching AI development with philosophical scrutiny is what will preserve our ability to live self-directed lives and flourish as humans.
Chapters:
01:10 – What happens when AI becomes life's autocomplete
02:20 – Why philosophy is essential to building technology
03:30 – Silicon Valley's lost moral ambition
04:30 – Three types of builders holding us back
05:45 – A new kind of builder: the philosopher-builder
07:00 – Benjamin Franklin as the archetype
08:30 – The future of AI and the case for human flourishing
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About Brendan McCord:
Brendan McCord is the founder and Chair of the Cosmos Institute and a key thinker at the intersection of AI and philosophy. In the private sector, Brendan was the founding CEO of two AI startups that were acquired for $400 million. In the public sector, Brendan was the principal founder of the first applied AI organization for the US Department of Defense and author of its first AI strategy. Brendan is a graduate of MIT and Harvard Business School and was a Visiting Fellow at St Catherine’s College at the University of Oxford. After MIT, he spent 610 days underwater on a submarine. He lives in Austin, TX with his wife and two children.
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