“On (Not) Feeling the AGI” by Zvi

Ben Thompson interviewed Sam Altman recently about building a consumer tech company, and about the history of OpenAI. Mostly it is a retelling of the story we’ve heard before, and if anything Altman is very good about pushing back on Thompson when Thompson tries to turn OpenAI's future into the next Facebook, complete with an advertising revenue model. It is such a strange perspective to witness. They do not feel the AGI, let alone the ASI. The downside risks of AI, let alone existential risks, are flat out not discussed, this is a world where that's not even a problem for Future Earth. Then we contrast this with the new Epoch model of economic growth from AI, which can produce numbers like 30% yearly economic growth. Epoch feels the AGI.

A Note on GPT-2

Given the discussion of GPT-2 in the OpenAI safety and alignment philosophy document, I wanted [...]

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Outline:

(00:57) A Note on GPT-2

(02:02) What Even is AGI

(05:24) Seeking Deeply Irresponsibly

(07:07) Others Don't Feel the AGI

(08:07) Epoch Feels the AGI

(13:06) True Objections to Widespread Rapid Growth

(19:50) Tying It Back

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First published:
March 25th, 2025

Source:
https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/aD2RA3vtXs4p4r55b/on-not-feeling-the-agi

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Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.

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