#256 From Deep Learning to SuperIntelligence with Terry Sejnowski, Head of Computational Neurobiology at Salk Institute

With the recent rapid advancements in AI comes the challenge of navigating an ever-changing field of play, while ensuring the tech we use serves real-world needs. As AI becomes more ingrained in business and everyday life, how do we balance cutting-edge development with practicality and ethical responsibility? What steps are necessary to ensure AI’s growth benefits society, aligns with human values, and avoids potential risks? What similarities can we draw between the way we think, and the way AI thinks for us?

Terry Sejnowski is one of the most influential figures in computational neuroscience. At the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, he runs the Computational Neurobiology Laboratory, and hold the Francis Crick Chair. At the University of California, San Diego, he is a Distinguished Professor and runs a neurobiology lab. Terry is also the President of the Neural Information Processing (NIPS) Foundation, and an organizer of the NeurIPS AI conference. Alongside Geoff Hinton, Terry co-invented the Boltzmann machine technique for machine learning. He is the author of over 500 journal articles on neuroscience and AI, and the book "ChatGPT and the Future of AI".

In the episode, Richie and Terry explore the current state of AI, historical developments in AI, the NeurIPS conference, collaboration between AI and neuroscience, AI’s shift from academia to industry, large vs small LLMs, creativity in AI, AI ethics, autonomous AI, AI agents, superintelligence, and much more. 

Links Mentioned in the Show:

• NeurIPS Conference
• Terry’s Book—ChatGPT and the Future of AI: The Deep Language Revolution
• Connect with Terry
• Terry on Substack
• Course: Data Communication Concepts
• Related Episode: Guardrails for the Future of AI with Viktor Mayer-Schönberger, Professor of Internet Governance and Regulation at the University of Oxford
• Sign up to RADAR: Forward Edition

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