The Evolution of LLMs

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Growing up on Stanislav Lem's science fiction stories, the narrator finds them both captivating and pessimistic. Despite lacking the world building and forecasting of Asimov's works, Lem's stories offer absurd situations and an odd sense of humor. However, there has been a recent Lem revival, with technologists and futurologists appreciating his tales for their resemblance to current technology. Lem's early exploration of using artificial intelligence as therapists or oracles is also worth revisiting.

Jacob Mikanowski is the author of one of Tyler’s favorite books this year called Goodbye, Eastern Europe: An Intimate History of a Divided Land. Tyler and Jacob sat down to discuss all things Eastern Europe, including the differences between Eastern and Western European humor, whether Poles are smiling more nowadays, why the best Polish folk art is from the south, the equilibrium for Kaliningrad and the Suwałki Gap, how Romania and Bulgaria will handle depopulation, whether Moldova has an independent future, the best city to party in, why there are so few Christian-Muslim issues in Albania, a nuanced take on Orbán and Hungarian politics, why food in Poland is so good now, why Stanisław Lem hasn’t gotten more attention in the West, how Eastern Europe has changed his view of humanity, his ideal two week itinerary in the region, what he’ll do next, and more.

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Recorded September 5th, 2023.

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