Conspicuous Cognition Podcast

How similar is ChatGPT-5 to the human mind? How should we measure AI progress? How close are we to transformative AI? Are "super-intelligent" AI sytems likely to kill us all? This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit www.conspicuouscognition.com/subscribe

This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit www.conspicuouscognition.comThis week, I talked with the great Elle Griffin about “free speech in the age of social media.” Elle is a writer, essayist, and general polymath who writes the excellent newsletter The Elysian. I would highly recommend following her work and Substack. We talked about a wide range of topics, including: * What is misinformation? * Is the misinformation problem worse today than in the past? * Why is censorship bad? And why is free speech good? * In what ways is misinformation symptomatic of deeper problems like polarisation and institutional distrust? * Should we treat online spaces like public parks? * How can we design social media platforms so that they encourage prosocial behaviour? (Elle had some very interesting ideas here). * In what ways is the enforcement of “epistemic norms” (e.g., against lying) different to the enforcement of other norms (e.g., against littering)? * Do we really want social media platforms to be free of conflict? Should all platforms be comfortable? I got a lot from the conversation and hope people enjoy it.