AI has been in the news a lot last year. From a Google engineer claiming that the company’s AI had become sentient, to open letters expressing fears that its development is spiraling out of control. There are also fears about AI being used to replace those of us in creative professions like writers, artists, and actors, and many a high school or university teacher who fears that their students will no longer hand in original work. With everything that is being said about AI, both by those who claim it will be the end of humanity and those who think it will bring about its salvation, it can be difficult to keep a clear perspective.
What are the questions that truly matter? What aspects of AI should we actually be concerned about and which ones should we relegate to the realms of science fiction? What are the implications of AI-moderated (social) media feeds for online discussions? How will algorithmic machine-driven intelligence affect the information that we have at our disposal to understand the world? How will our politics be affected? For instance, is an AI-driven society really that different from the technocratic way in which Western societies are ruled and managed? In our conversation,
and I dive deep into these questions, hoping to find answers to guide our actions and our perspectives on the future.
All the credit goes to Max for editing our recording, approaching it with humour and an impressive dedication to clarity and factual accuracy, and for putting in the time to provide you with an engaging listening experience.
I found our conversation educational, fascinating, insightful, and a strange mix of funny and chilling, but above all it has made me think about and reconsider my own views and ideas. It is precisely those kinds of discussions that can lead to a deeper examination and exploration of our own ideas, and sometimes even to a more profound understanding of reality. That is something that I am incredibly thankful for.
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Variety Hours Podcast - Deep Discussion & Thoughts on Artificial Intelligence (AI)