The Weird Culture of AI creators: summoners of god-like intelligence

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AI researchers acknowledge a 10% chance of losing control over high-level machine intelligence, resulting in the extinction or disempowerment of humanity. The speaker finds it strange that these researchers are willing to take such risks, equating it to knowingly endangering their children's lives. However, when questioned about their motivation, the AI creators often express a sense of responsibility to bring about the next form of intelligence. They see themselves as summoners or shepherds, ushering in a technology that would have emerged regardless. This perception of responsibility outweighs the potential dangers for these researchers. Jeffrey Hinton, a prominent figure in AI, admits that the allure of discovery is too enticing to resist, even if it carries existential risks. The speaker concludes that the culture among AI creators is peculiar due to their willingness to work on a technology that has the potential to harm humanity, but excludes those who choose not to engage in it.

The New York Times Opinion columnist Ezra Klein has spent years talking to artificial intelligence researchers. Many of them feel the prospect of A.I. discovery is too sweet to ignore, regardless of the technology’s risks.

Today, Mr. Klein discusses the profound changes that an A.I.-powered world will create, how current business models are failing to meet the A.I. moment, and the steps government can take to achieve a positive A.I. future.

Also, radical acceptance of your phone addiction may just help your phone addiction.

On today’s episode:

Ezra Klein is a columnist at The New York Times and host of “The Ezra Klein Show.”

Additional reading:

Ezra Klein outlined the dramatic shifts that A.I. will enable.
In a 2022 survey of A.I. researchers, nearly half of the respondents said that there was a 10 percent or greater chance that the long-run effect of advanced A.I. on humanity would be “extremely bad.” This year, an A.I. researcher argued that natural selection favors A.I. over humans.
A 2017 article in The New Yorker said that, for some, the risks of artificial intelligence are outweighed by the prospect of discovery.
Meghan O’Gieblyn’s book “God, Human, Animal, Machine” explores the human experience in the age of artificial intelligence.
The White House released a Blueprint for an A.I. Bill of Rights to guide the development of A.I. technology.