AI: Unlocking the Post-Human – David Pearce & James Hughes
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AI: Unlocking the Post-Human – David Pearce & James Hughes

ByAdam Ford

A discussion between David Pearce and James Hughes moderated by Adam Ford exploring the ethical and philosophical landscapes of AI, human enhancement and the future of emerging technologies affording higher states of well-being. Pearce and Hughes discuss the implications of transforming human experience via leveraging biotech and cybernetics, as well as requirements for AI to…

J. Dmitri Gallow – AI Interpretability, Orthogonality, Instrumental Convergence & Divergence
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J. Dmitri Gallow – AI Interpretability, Orthogonality, Instrumental Convergence & Divergence

ByAdam Ford

J. Dmitri Gallow discusses the principles of instrumental convergence and divergence in AI. The orthogonality thesis, which states intelligence and desire are independent, and the instrumental convergence thesis, which suggests intelligent beings will have similar instrumental desires, are critical concepts. Gallow’s argument focuses on the instrumental divergence, which emerges from the complexity and unpredictability of AI’s actions based on its desires.

David Pearce – Effective Altruism – Phasing Out Suffering
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David Pearce – Effective Altruism – Phasing Out Suffering

ByAdam Ford

This interview was conducted in 2012 in San Francisco. In the future may will see it is not ethically responsible to play genetic roulette and instead take the decision to have happy, healthy, pro-social offspring. 0:00 Introduction0:36 Alleviating Suffering 7:00 Justified Suffering? 13:12 Buddhism 14:42 The World Transhumanist Association 22:35 Recalibration of Society or Biology?…

James Hughes on the Economic Impacts of Artificial General Intelligence
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James Hughes on the Economic Impacts of Artificial General Intelligence

ByAdam Ford

The following is an enlightening session with James Hughes, Associate Provost at the University of Massachusetts Boston and Director of the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies (IEET), we delve into the intricate world of Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) and its profound economic implications. In this interview, Hughes, a renowned expert in the field, sheds…

Exploring the Frontiers of AI with David Quarel: Emerging Capabilities, Interpretability, and Future Impacts
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Exploring the Frontiers of AI with David Quarel: Emerging Capabilities, Interpretability, and Future Impacts

ByAdam Ford

David Quarel, a Ph.D. student at the Australian National University, is deeply involved in the field of AI, specifically focusing on AI safety and reinforcement learning. He works under the guidance of Marcus Hutter and is currently engaged in studying Hutter’s Universal AI model. This model is an ambitious attempt to define intelligence through the…

Effective Policy Advocacy – Interview with Greg Sadler
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Effective Policy Advocacy – Interview with Greg Sadler

ByAdam Ford

Greg Sadler, the CEO of Good Ancestors Policy, is working to help members of communities in Australia advocate for the positions that they think are important and the policies that they value the most. Greg has over 10 years’ experience in the Australian Public Service, including at the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet,…

Digital Twins in Healthcare and as Cyber Butlers
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Digital Twins in Healthcare and as Cyber Butlers

ByAdam Ford

The concept of digital twins combined with engineering simulation is an exciting framework for professionals working to improve medical devices in biomedicine. A digital twin acts as a virtual representation or digital replica of a physical object, system, processes which can include parts of the human body. Digital twins can be applied to medical devices…

The AI Safety Dynamic – Dr Simon Goldstein
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The AI Safety Dynamic – Dr Simon Goldstein

ByAdam Ford

Dr Simon Goldstein is an associate professor at the Dianoia Institute of Philosophy at ACU. In 2023, he is a research fellow at the Center for AI Safety. Simon’s research focuses on AI safety, epistemology, and philosophy of language. Before ACU, Simon was an assistant professor at Lingnan University in Hong Kong. Simon received my…

Leslie Allan – Postmodernism & Relativism are Wrong
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Leslie Allan – Postmodernism & Relativism are Wrong

ByAdam Ford

Postmodernism and relativism buckle under their own contradiction: they passionately assert the objective truth that there exists no objective truth. This very paradox embodies a self-negating precept, a construct that dismantles itself from within. They champion the idea of relative truths, yet in this declaration, they inadvertently sculpt an overarching meta-narrative, contradicting the foundational principle…