167 - We're Not Going to Die: Why Eliezer Yudkowsky is Wrong with Robin Hanson

In this highly anticipated sequel to our 1st AI conversation with Eliezer Yudkowsky, we bring you a thought-provoking discussion with Robin Hanson, a professor of economics at George Mason University and a research associate at the Future of Humanity Institute of Oxford University.

Apr 15, 2023 • 1 min read

Eliezer painted a chilling and grim picture of a future where AI ultimately kills us all. Robin is here to provide a different perspective.

In this episode, we explore:

- Why Robin believes Eliezer is wrong and that we're not all going to die from an AI takeover. But will we potentially become their pets instead?

- The possibility of a civil war between multiple AIs and why it's more likely than being dominated by a single superintelligent AI.

- Robin's concerns about the regulation of AI and why he believes it's a greater threat than AI itself.

- A fascinating analogy: why Robin thinks alien civilizations might spread like cancer?

- Finally, we dive into the world of crypto and explore Robin's views on this rapidly evolving technology.

Whether you're an AI enthusiast, a crypto advocate, or just someone intrigued by the big-picture questions about humanity and its prospects, this episode is one you won't want to miss.

Topics Covered

0:00 Intro

8:42 How Robin is Weird

10:00 Are We All Going to Die?

13:50 Eliezer’s Assumption

25:00 Intelligence, Humans, & Evolution

27:31 Eliezer Counter Point

32:00 Acceleration of Change

33:18 Comparing & Contrasting Eliezer’s Argument

35:45 A New Life Form

44:24 AI Improving Itself

47:04 Self-Interested Acting Agent

49:56 Human Displacement?

55:56 Many AIs

1:00:18 Humans vs. Robots

1:04:14 Pause or Continue AI Innovation?

1:10:52 Quiet Civilization

1:14:28 Grabby Aliens

1:19:55 Are Humans Grabby?

1:27:29 Grabby Aliens Explained

1:36:16 Cancer

1:40:00 Robin’s Thoughts on Crypto

1:42:20 Closing & Disclaimers

Resources:

Robin Hanson

https://twitter.com/robinhanson

Eliezer Yudkowsky on Bankless

https://www.bankless.com/159-were-all-gonna-die-with-eliezer-yudkowsky

What is the AI FOOM debate?

https://www.lesswrong.com/tag/the-hanson-yudkowsky-ai-foom-debate

Age of Em book - Robin Hanson

https://ageofem.com/

Grabby Aliens

https://grabbyaliens.com/

Kurzgesagt video

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDSf2h9_39I&t=1s

Not financial or tax advice. This newsletter is strictly educational and is not investment advice or a solicitation to buy or sell any assets or to make any financial decisions. This newsletter is not tax advice. Talk to your accountant. Do your own research.

Disclosure. From time-to-time I may add links in this newsletter to products I use. I may receive commission if you make a purchase through one of these links. Additionally, the Bankless writers hold crypto assets. See our investment disclosures here.

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