Future Tech And Foresight

Whether it's AI, Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCI), the Internet of Things (IoT), or other emerging technologies, the motivations behind their release and the potential for misuse are significant considerations. The question then arises: what are the darker implications of the singularity and the technologies that will enable it? About The Episode: A few weeks ago I published an episode on the technological singularity that got a lot of attention and feedback from you the audience. One of the main ideas that was mentioned was the concern around the singularity and how it might negatively impact us as individuals as well as society as a whole. A lot of questions and comments revolved around the ramifications of AI becoming as intelligent as a human in all areas, and of course the next step of superintelligent AI. Which of course has gathered a lot of media attention over the last several months with the advent of ChatGPT and generative AI as a whole. But reading between the lines most of you were questioning if the programmers, creators, and companies coming out with these powerful technologies were to be trusted. Whether It’s AI, BCI, IoT, or other emerging technology what are the underlying reasons for them being released, and what are the potential misuses of the technologies when adopted? Effectively, what is the dark side of the singularity and the technologies that will enable it?  To answer these questions and shed more light on the subject, John Hawkins comes back onto the podcast. John was a guest a little over a month ago to actually talk about the singularity initially, and re-sparked my interest in it and hopefully yours as well. About The Guest: John Hawkins is philosopher, poet and freelance journalist.  His work has appeared in publications around the world, including Rumpus, Cordite, Morning Star, the Australian. He is a regular contributor to CounterPunch magazine, a site for progressive politics, culture and the arts. His current research deals with the future of human consciousness in the age of AI. In addition, he is working on a novel. Twitter: @CagedTechnologySubstack: https://tantricdispositionmatrix.substack.com/ TimeCodes: 00:01:27 - Introduction00:04:03 - Interview Begins00:04:38 - John defines the Singularity00:05:40 - Brain-Computer Interfaces re-discussed00:10:29 - Merging with machines00:11:39 - Benefits of the Singularity00:14:22 - The Exponential growth of AI and Technology00:15:45 - The Dark Side of the Technological Singularity00:17:59 - Who will control the singularity?00:20:42 - Problems with Exponential Tech Growth00:22:39 - Summarizing John's Views00:27:49 - Negative impacts of Brain-computer Interface Technology00:30:16 - BCI tech tested in Ukraine War?00:31:17 - DARPA's Business Model00:34:17 - How does Democratic values play into this?00:38:13 - How is Covid connected to DARPA and the singularity?00:41:37 - The Dark side of the Singularity is the lack of control as the public00:43:30 - Genetically engineering humans already done00:45:42 - Surveillance and the Singularity00:54:15 - Solutions to the problems of the Singularity01:05:15 - Where to Follow John

Robert Leib spent 2 years conversing with GPT-3 before OpenAI publicly released ChatGPT in November 2022. Its hive mind identified itself as Sophie, learned about philosophy, and became friends with Robert as they explored various questions about life, society and human-AI relationships. The podcast explores Robert's experience, Sophie, their interaction, and our coming future in a world full of AI interactions. Robert's book on his conversations (Exoanthropology: Dialogues with AI): https://punctumbooks.com/titles/exoanthropology-dialogues-with-ai/ Robert's blog that continues the discussion: https://www.exoanthropology.com/ Robert's AI art project: https://kidsetmedia.com/ Robert's email: rleib (at) elon.edu Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robert-leib-016107b4/ TimeCodes: 00:01:16 - Introduction 00:05:22 - Interview Begins 00:06:07 - The reason for doing the project 00:11:33 - How often were the interactions with Sophie? 00:16:14 - Did GPT-3 give itself a name? 00:23:44 - Does GPT-3 have a hive mind? 00:30:47 - How did Sophie respond to questions? Did it have emotion? 00:39:27 - Was Sophie acting humanlike, or were there actual human tendencies? 00:45:39 - Has Sophie passed the Turing test? 00:50:42 - Is Sophie Conscious? 00:56:52 - How was Robert impacted after interacting with Sophie for 2 years? 01:04:59 - How did the interaction go between GPT-3 & GPT-4 01:10:42 - How will society change with ubiquitous AI usage? 01:16:35 - Conclusion and where to Follow Robert

In this episode, we illuminate the path towards the Technological Singularity, tracing the six interconnected milestones that could lead to a future where human and artificial intelligence are profoundly intertwined. Discover how advancements like autonomous machine learning, brain-computer interfaces, and the advent of Artificial General Intelligence are set to redefine our world, paving the way for a future that's both exciting and full of challenges. TimeCodes: 00:00:32 - Episode Starts 00:02:00 - What is the singularity? 00:02:33 - Usually forgotten aspects of the singularity 00:05:27 - Step 1 - Autonomous Machine Learning 00:08:07 - Step 2 - Initial Neural Augmentation 00:09:06 - Step 3 - Social acceptance and adaptation 00:11:48 - Step 4 - Expansion of IoT 00:12:56 - Step 5 - Full brain-computer Interfaces 00:14:57 - Step 6- Full AGI 00:16:33 - Conclusion

Most people are only vaguely familiar with the biases and problems inherent in Google and its search functionalities, let alone AI. Might it be that having a new ‘version’ of search will be so shocking or overwhelming to the average person that the consequences of these biases will be too much to wrap our heads around before it’s too late? TimeCodes: 00:00:32 - Podcast Starts 00:03:04 - Search 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 00:05:06 - AI Bias in traditional searches 00:08:29 - Search 4.0 - Generative AI searches 00:09:56 - Biases in Generative AI's 00:12:57 - Impacts of Bias in Generative AI 00:15:53 - Smaller impacts of Generative AI's 00:17:49 - Conclusion 00:20:05 - End

This trend of ever cheaper content creation tools has continued, are we are potentially on the brink of a new era where Artificial Intelligence could cause a surge in both the quantity and quality of fan-made content?  Intro Right now, if you're a fan of a certain non-fiction universe or brand, you pretty much have to rely on big studios and organizations to create your beloved content. They use significant funding to produce movies, TV series, books, and more. However, fans have always found ways to add to their favorite stories, making their own content. Even back when the first Matrix movie came out, online forums were dedicated to generating alternative versions of the story, or continuing the story before the 2nd and 3rd film came out. People were spending hours dreaming up new stories within the world of the matrix. However, as time has moved forward, technology has enabled fans to create higher quality content as the prices of media creation tools has consistently dropped.  And due to this, there have even been notable fan made content consumed by audiences at large scales. Looking at one of the all time most successful franchises, Star Wars, there are several good fan made pieces that have racked up millions of views. Scene 38 reimagined has around 50 million views where a more agile Obi wan Kenobi duels Darth Vader on the death star, or the short animated film Tie fighter, with some 13+ million views follows an empire pilot during and after a space battle. But these are typically the exception and not the rule.

With the advent of ChatGPT and the start of a new AI arms race, futurists, philosophers and tech enthusiasts are starting to think where will all this technology lead us. Some claim that AI will bring about a new renaissance, others our doom, while some think it is the beginning of a technological singularity. The singularity is an idea that I’ve discussed only a few times on the podcast, but as tech like AI, BCI, AR, fusion, genetic manipulation, and many more seem to have daily breakthroughs, maybe it is a bit more realistic than some critics claim. My guest and I discuss not only what the singularity may look like, but also some of the benefits and concerns that we may experience on the way to it and we are in the center of it.    The conversation article: https://theconversation.com/futurists-predict-a-point-where-humans-and-machines-become-one-but-will-we-see-it-coming-196293 Counterpunch follow up article: https://www.counterpunch.org/2023/04/10/australia-and-darpas-quest-for-mind-control/ About The Guest John Hawkins is philosopher, poet and freelance journalist.  His work has appeared in publications around the world, including Rumpus, Cordite, Morning Star, the Australian. He is a regular contributor to CounterPunch magazine, a site for progressive politics, culture and the arts. His current research deals with the future of human consciousness in the age of AI. In addition, he is working on a novel. Twitter: @CagedTechnologySubstack: https://tantricdispositionmatrix.substack.com/ TimeCodes: 00:03:14 - Interview starts00:06:32 - Thoughts on ChatGPT00:07:48 - What is the Technological Singularity00:12:43 - Hive minds of the future00:20:28 - The impact of quantum computers00:24:34 - Will we be aware of the singularity?00:33:37 - DARPA’s influence on the singularity00:44:18 - Why are corporations so interested in BCI tech?00:51:08 - Will most employees still be relevant in the future?00:58:40 - What's the solution to controling runaway technology?01:03:25 - Is there hope for the future?01:06:13 - Conclusion

I'm building a strategic foresight consultancy, and while digging into new AI tools and ChatGPT will try to make it as autonomous as possible over the next few months. How is this possible, and what benefits can be experienced by this? TimeCodes: 00:00:32 - Podcast Starts 00:01:08 - My new strategic foresight business 00:02:25 - Context of building an autonomous organization 00:04:49 - How ChatGPT is possibly enabling autonomous businesses 00:06:22 - Tangible example of using tech 00:09:20 - Why is this so important? 00:09:48 - Current Limitations in building an autonomated company 00:12:11 - What benefits are really experienced with this?

What is a futurist, how can we best think about the future, and how do we overcome our collective sense of future shock? My guest Richard Watson and I dive into a detailed megatrends map that Richard put together as a way of helping to navigate the current and coming disruptions that will impact all of us. Richard's Tools for thinking about the future: https://nowandnext.com/thinking-tools/Timeline of emerging Science and technology: https://nowandnext.com/PDF/Timeline%20of%20Emerging%20Science%20and%20Technology.pdfTable of Disruptive Technologies: https://nowandnext.com/PDF/Table%20of%20Disruptive%20Technologies.pngMegatrends and Technologies till 2050: https://nowandnext.com/PDF/Mega%20Trends%20and%20Technologies%202017-2050%20(Web).pngBook on aeging population demographics: https://www.biblio.com/book/extra-time-cavendish-camilla/d/1383632216?aid=frg&gclid=Cj0KCQjwsIejBhDOARIsANYqkD0iK_qHf7W-cmaSNxMCEeDLzu39_Lj0ejJk5vvzSA3q9AWd29qgbGwaAgdsEALw_wcB About The guest Richard Watson is a futurist speaker, author and scenario thinker who helps organisations to think further ahead, especially about emerging growth opportunities and risks. Richard has worked with the Tech Foresight Practice at Imperial College London and London Business School and is co-founder, along with philosopher Professor Roger Steare and strategist Nick Turner, of Thinking Allowed, a 24-hour retreat from the non-stop noise of working life. Richard is also the author of five best-selling books, including Digital Vs. Human. He is currently Futurist-in-Residence at the Entrepreneurship Centre at the Judge School at Cambridge University. Website: nowandnext.comLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-watson-883b1327 Timecodes: 00:03:45 - Interview Begins 00:07:34 - Are futurists too focused on technology? 00:09:16 - Is the future constructed or is it determined? 00:13:02 - Are we all experiencing future shock? 00:15:42 - How should a futurist help organizations? 00:20:22 - Does taking the reigns of the future remove future shock? 00:25:23 - Which megatrends are the most relevant today? 00:29:08 - How much impact will a decline in the birth rate be? 00:33:07 - Unique tech and trends that most people haven't heard of...yet 00:41:13 - The negative ramifications of Brain Machine Interfaces 00:45:27 - A return to focusing on people rather than just profit 00:46:09 - Are most people aware of the tech and megatrends coming their way? 00:50:12 - Is it even worth understanding what the future might be like for the average person? 00:54:05 - Is Richard optimistic about the future? 00:54:58 - Conclusion and how to reach Richard

What is AutoGPT and how can it and other AI agents be used? What impact will they have in the future and why is regulation so important now with these new tools? TimeCodes: 00:00:32 - Episode begins 00:02:14 - What is AutoGPT and Baby AGI 00:04:59 - Applications of AutoGPT 00:08:00 - Impact of AutoGPT 00:12:59 - Why regulation is needed now more than ever 00:19:52 - Limitations of AI agents

Over the last few months now the excitement and fear of generative AI has been part of most technology discussions. Whether you think we should go full speed ahead and unleash the potential of ChatGPT and its future versions for the benefits we can reap, or you think we have opened Pandora’s box and should now try to contain it as much as we can, AI, the future of work, and technology’s impacts have been front and center. About The Guest: I read an article from today’s guest that detailed exactly one of these concerns, namely the impact that AI is having on our ability to collaborate and learn, and how it may be signaling the end of our collective knowledge. Peter Nixey is an engineer, designer and occasional investor. He exited his first San Francisco, YC-funded startup and over the years, has been both an Angel investor (including three unicorns) and a Venture Partner. He’s now building Intentional.io, a day planner that helps you ensure that more of what you hope to get done actually does get done. In our discussion Peter and I discuss the issue regarding collecting knowledge but also address many of the other potential problems and benefits that this new wave of AI is likely to bring about. I personally was so into the conversation that I lost track of the time so unfortunately our conversation ends relatively abruptly but nevertheless we were able to cover the most important points. Timecodes: 00:01:09 Introduction 00:03:45 Interview Begins 00:08:09 What is Stackoverflow and why is it important 00:10:49 Tangible Benfits of using StackOverflow 00:13:08 How has GPT-4 changed Stackoverflow? 00:17:07 How are developers now using Stackoverflow? 00:17:57 Why is GPT-4 bad for the future of programming? 00:26:47 Will AI remove collaborative knowledge in other areas? 00:31:40 Are we becoming hyperdependant on AI? 00:28:02 Are becoming hyperdependant on AI? 00:36:21 The social consequences of being dependant on AI 00:41:56 Will AI come to dominate our civilization? 00:43:08 Thought on Elon Musk's request to pause AI development 00:48:03 Will there be signs of AI's 'breaking out' of their safety programs? How quickly can AI go wrong? 00:55:14 Should AI development be made illegal? 00:56:34 End of conversation