AGI Unveiled: Navigating the Future

We dove into the fascinating intersection of technology, ethics, and the future of AI recording our last episode. Joe Rogan hosted two pivotal figures in the tech world: Aza Raskin and Tristan Harris. Their insights and projects, including the Earth Species Project and the Center for Humane Technology, are reshaping our understanding of AI and its impact on society.

The Pioneers: Aza Raskin and Tristan Harris

Aza Raskin

Aza Raskin, co-founder of the Center for Humane Technology, is not just a tech entrepreneur but a visionary. His work on the Social Dilemma, alongside Tristan Harris, has been a wake-up call for the digital age. Aza's Earth Species Project, an ambitious endeavor to use AI for translating animal communications, reflects his innovative spirit. He's also the son of Jef Raskin, the initiator of Apple's Macintosh project, inheriting a legacy of human-computer interface expertise.

Tristan Harris

Tristan Harris, an American technology ethicist, serves as the executive director and co-founder of the Center for Humane Technology. Known for his role in creating the Social Dilemma and now the AI Dilemma on Youtube, Tristan's work focuses on the ethical implications of technology. His insights into the workings and impacts of social media and AI are shaping public discourse and policy.

The Earth Species Project: Unraveling Animal Communications

The Earth Species Project is a groundbreaking initiative using AI to decipher languages among various animal species, including dolphins, whales, orangutans, and crows. Some of its astonishing findings include:

• Dolphins using unique names to address each other.
• Parrots having individual names, whispered to them by their mothers.
• False killer whales and dolphins off the coast of Norway using a distinct language when hunting together.

A remarkable study in 1994 demonstrated dolphins' ability to understand abstract concepts and collaborate, highlighting the sophisticated cognitive abilities of these marine mammals.

Narrow Optimization: A Cautionary Tale from Social Media

The podcast delves into the dangers of narrowly optimizing technology for specific goals, like engagement in social media, at the expense of broader societal well-being. This approach lead to increased division, isolation, addiction, and a breakdown in shared reality.

Charlie Munger's quote, "Show me the incentive, and I will show you the outcome," aptly applies to social media's attention-driven model, leading to a more addicted, distracted, and polarized society. This is what we want to avoid with AI as it evolves.

AI's Incentive Dilemma

The race to deploy AI technology, driven by competition and profit motives, raises concerns about safety and ethical deployment. The comparison with social media's entanglement in society underscores the urgency to address AI's incentives before it becomes irreversibly integrated into our social fabric.

Shared Reality and Perception Gaps

The concept of a shared reality, crucial for societal cohesion, is threatened by technology that amplifies perception gaps. Tristan Harris suggests a solution: optimizing social media and AI algorithms to prevent these gaps, fostering a world with shared truths rather than divided realities.

The Three Laws of Technology

1. New technology brings new responsibilities.
2. Technology conferring power initiates a race.
3. Without coordination, such races can end in tragedy.

These laws frame the discussion around AI as humanity's "first contact" with a form of intelligence that could surpass our own.

The AI Dilemma: From ChatGPT to AGI

The release of OpenAI's ChatGPT marked a turning point in the AI race, with rapid advancements leading to AI models capable of sophisticated tasks and emergent behaviors. The concept of AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) represents a pinnacle of this development, posing both incredible opportunities and existential risks.

Fast Facts: Eye-Opening Insights

• The unintended consequences of Aza Raskin's infinite doom scroll.
• The correlation between beauty filters and user engagement.
• The alarming rate of AI-generated child pornography.
• The potential for AI to exacerbate global power imbalances.

Snapchat AI and the AI Race

Snapchat's AI, launched as a friend to every user, raised serious concerns about child safety, highlighting the need for more responsible AI deployment as issues were immediately discovered. The exponential growth in AI capabilities and resources underscores the urgency of securing these technologies against misuse.

The Bottleneck of AI Development

The podcast emphasizes the critical role of the US, Netherlands, and Japan in AI chip development, suggesting a coordinated approach to ensure AI's safe and ethical distribution.

Litigating Our Approach to AI

AI, likened to the discovery of chemistry in terms of uses and dangers, offers solutions to human-caused problems but also poses significant risks. The discussion calls for a change in how we view and deploy technology, advocating for a mature, responsible approach.

Paleolithic Brains, Medieval Institutions, Godlike Technology

Our current institutions struggle to address the invisible, long-term risks posed by emerging technologies like AI. We stressed the need for institutional maturity to manage these powerful tools responsibly.

There is Hope

Drawing parallels with historical responses to global threats, we concluded with a hopeful note on humanity's ability to come together and address the challenges posed by AI and AGI well before it comes up. This is similar to avoiding a nuclear war, it's been done before.

Join us on the Big Chew Podcast as we explore these critical issues, shaping the conversation around technology, ethics, and the future of our world along with many many other topics.