Bart Selman, Professor of Computer Science at Cornell University, joins us to discuss a wide range of AI issues, from autonomous weapons and AI consciousness to international governance and the possibilities of superintelligence.
Topics discussed in this episode include:
-Negative and positive outcomes from AI in the short, medium, and long-terms
-The perils and promises of AGI and superintelligence
-AI alignment and AI existential risk
-Lethal autonomous weapons
-AI governance and racing to powerful AI systems
-AI consciousness
You can find the page for this podcast here: https://futureoflife.org/2021/05/20/bart-selman-on-the-promises-and-perils-of-artificial-intelligence/
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Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
1:35 Futures that Bart is excited about
4:08 Positive futures in the short, medium, and long-terms
7:23 AGI timelines
8:11 Bart’s research on “planning” through the game of Sokoban
13:10 If we don’t go extinct, is the creation of AGI and superintelligence inevitable?
15:28 What’s exciting about futures with AGI and superintelligence?
17:10 How long does it take for superintelligence to arise after AGI?
21:08 Would a superintelligence have something intelligent to say about income inequality?
23:24 Are there true or false answers to moral questions?
25:30 Can AGI and superintelligence assist with moral and philosophical issues?
28:07 Do you think superintelligences converge on ethics?
29:32 Are you most excited about the short or long-term benefits of AI?
34:30 Is existential risk from AI a legitimate threat?
35:22 Is the AI alignment problem legitimate?
43:29 What are futures that you fear?
46:24 Do social media algorithms represent an instance of the alignment problem?
51:46 The importance of educating the public on AI
55:00 Income inequality, cyber security, and negative futures
1:00:06 Lethal autonomous weapons
1:01:50 Negative futures in the long-term
1:03:26 How have your views of AI alignment evolved?
1:06:53 Bart’s plans and intentions for the Association for the Advancement of Artificial Intelligence
1:13:45 Policy recommendations for existing AIs and the AI ecosystem
1:15:35 Solving the parts of the AI alignment that won’t be solved by industry incentives
1:18:17 Narratives of an international race to powerful AI systems
1:20:42 How does an international race to AI affect the chances of successful AI alignment?
1:23:20 Is AI a zero sum game?
1:28:51 Lethal autonomous weapons governance
1:31:38 Does the governance of autonomous weapons affect outcomes from AGI
1:33:00 AI consciousness
1:39:37 Alignment is important and the benefits of AI can be great
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