Jaron Lanier has another great piece called “How to Picture A.I” in the New Yorker. He is so good at using simple metaphors to explain complex ideas, and I loved this last little bit:
The science-fiction writer Arthur C. Clarke famously stated that a sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic. But that is only true if that technology is not explained well enough. It is the responsibility of technologists to make sure their offerings are not taken as magic.
At the moment, OpenAI appears to be content with offerings that are taken as magic. Magic is exciting. Magic creates drama. Magic generates investment.
I really want to trust Sam Altman, his board, and the optimistic engineering team at OpenAI. Altman comes across as a natural-born CEO—confident, purposeful and thoughtful, albeit with a fair dose of tech-bro. But he is no scientist which, given the stakes, makes me uneasy.
Lex Fridman’s newest interview is worth watching (as well as the first interview). I’m a little encouraged by this exchange (the potential for catastrophic instrumental convergence notwithstanding):
Lex Fridman (01:35:02) There could be major theatrical moments, also. What to you would be an impressive thing AGI would do? You are alone in a room with the system.
Sam Altman (01:35:16) This is personally important to me. I don’t know if this is the right definition. I think when a system can significantly increase the rate of scientific discovery in the world, that’s a huge deal. I believe that most real economic growth comes from scientific and technological progress.