Kelsey Piper, a senior writer at Vox's Future Perfect, dives into the rapidly changing AI landscape and its societal implications. She contrasts the deregulatory push promoted by political leaders with the need for robust safety measures. The conversation touches on the tension between innovation and regulation, the consequences of AI on employment, and the role of social media in shaping extremist narratives. Piper emphasizes the importance of transparency and diverse voices in AI development to navigate this complex future.
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insights INSIGHT
AI's Reckless Pursuit
Kelsey Piper expresses concern over the rapid advancement of AI and the recklessness of some companies.
Some companies aim to replace humans with AI, viewing it as the next step in evolution.
insights INSIGHT
Centralized vs. Decentralized AI
While pausing AI development seems unrealistic, a conversation about centralized vs. decentralized AI is crucial.
Society lacks a discussion on which direction to aim for and how to achieve it.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
AI Safety Measures
Advocate for government protections for whistleblowers at AI companies.
Push for reporting requirements for dangerous AI capabilities and clarity on liability.
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Where's artificial intelligence headed in Trump's America? Just asking questions.
In February 2025, Vice President J.D. Vance delivered a keynote speech at the AI Action Summit in Paris. He advocated for "AI opportunity" rather than "AI safety," promoting a deregulatory vision for AI that emphasized U.S. leadership and free speech while criticizing Europe's "excessive" regulations like the Digital Markets Act. In contrast, then-Vice President Kamala Harris, speaking at the AI Safety Summit in London in November 2023, advocated for pretty much the exact opposite. Where Harris sought guardrails, Vance's speech marked a sharp pivot toward deregulation and unilateral dominance, highlighting a stark shift in U.S. policy under the Trump administration. So what does this all mean politically, culturally, and for everyday humans? Will AI take our computer jobs?
Joining Just Asking Questions to discuss all of this and more is Kelsey Piper, a senior writer at Vox's effective altruism-inspired Future Perfect. We wanted to talk with her about the current politics and possible societal ramifications of AI because she has proven herself to be both knowledgeable and imminently reasonable.
Note: This interview was recorded on February 13, 2025. While most of this interview is about long-term trends and predictions, some specific claims about the then-current power of various AI models have been superseded but remain relevant in a journalistic and historical context, so we've run the original episode with no edits.
00:00 Introduction 00:43 Introducing Kelsey Piper and Analyzing Harris vs. Vance 03:07 AI policy shifts: from safety to opportunity 10:45 The reckless pace of AI development 17:18 Government oversight and AI whistleblower protections 26:06 Ideological bias in AI models 33:17 AI nationalism and the U.S.-China tech race 40:56 DeepSeek and the rise of Chinese AI 49:11 Transparency in AI and national security concerns 53:32 The risk of AI superintelligence 56:35 AI and the future of work: Will mass unemployment happen? 1:09:11 Silicon Valley, politics, and the AI trillionaire question 1:17:49 The question we should all be asking
Just Asking Questions 