Triangulation (Audio) Triangulation 387: Amy Webb: The Big Nine - How the Tech Titans & Their Thinking Machines Could Warp Humanity
Mar 1, 2019
Amy Webb, a professor at NYU Stern and founder of the Future Today Institute, dives into the implications of AI and the powerful tech giants influencing its future. She discusses the dominance of nine companies, dubbed the G-Mafia, and their role in innovation. The rivalry between the U.S. and China unfolds as both nations navigate unique governance in tech development. Webb also critiques the intersection of AI, government surveillance, and personal agency, emphasizing the need for informed regulation to shape a responsible technological future.
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AI As The Third Computing Era
- AI represents a third computing era: automated systems that make decisions from data rather than deterministic programs.
- This era produces systems that can outperform humans on specific tasks by learning rather than following fixed recipes.
AlphaZero Challenges AI Classifications
- AlphaZero's self-learning and multitask abilities blur lines between narrow and general AI.
- Tests like Turing or games measure deception or replication, not societal impact or unpredictability.
Focus On Choices, Not Machine Feelings
- Whether machines 'feel' is irrelevant to the practical risk: systems will make choices that affect humans.
- Treat AI as an alien intelligence to better prepare for unpredictable behaviors.
