Human values remain central to the debate over artificial intelligence

by Jonas PettiboneOctober 4, 20266 links · ~68 min read · ~1 min for the TL;DR

The Long Way Round by Jonas Pettibone: six links on Others every two weeks.

TL;DR

While artificial intelligence is not going rogue, the technology still presents inherent risks.
Joshua Rothman’s 12-minute article observes that the anticipated AI-driven jobs apocalypse has not occurred, indicating that a different shift is happening in the workplace.
The 20-minute Aeon essay argues that because human reason involves more than just optimization, machines will not necessarily outrun us.
AI safety experts suggest that companies are unable to self-regulate and that the White House accord lacks the necessary enforcement.
In a 1941 recording, Einstein observed that the modern era is defined by a perfection of means alongside a confusion of goals.
Attendees at the Pro-Human Assembly in Washington, D.C. focused their discussions on life philosophy rather than policy or employment concerns.

From the curator

The debate over artificial intelligence is shifting from technical concerns about job loss and rogue systems toward a deeper philosophical inquiry into human purpose. In the New Yorker article, Joshua Rothman notes that the expected AI jobs apocalypse has not arrived, suggesting a different transformation is underway. Meanwhile, the Aeon essay argues that human reason possesses a quality beyond simple optimization, which machines cannot replicate. This tension between technical capability and human essence is echoed by Einstein, who, as Maria Popova writes in the Marginalian article, warned that our age is characterized by a perfection of means but a confusion of goals.

Jonas Pettibone

Curated for this issue

NOEMA14 min readThe AIs Are Not Going Rogue
But they still pose risks.

The New Yorker12 min readWill A.I. Still Take Our Jobs?
The A.I. jobs apocalypse hasn’t arrived. Something else is happening instead.

Joshua Rothman · curated 1 time

aeon.co20 min readWhy real intelligence is something more than optimisation | Aeon Essays
If intelligence is merely optimisation then machines will outrun us. Kant tells us why human reason is so much more

nautil.us5 min read“Morally Binding” AI Safety Pledge Mocked - Nautilus
AI Safety experts seem to agree the companies can’t self-regulate, and the new White House accord lacks teeth

The Marginalian5 min readThe Common Language of Science: Einstein’s Clarion Call to Divided Humanity in a Rare 1941 Recording
“Perfection of means and confusion of goals seem — in my opinion — to characterize our age.”

Maria Popova · curated 1 time

The New Yorker13 min readThe Humanism Driving the Anti-A.I. Movement
At the Pro-Human Assembly in Washington, D.C., attendees talked less about jobs and policy, and more about their philosophy of life.

Becca Rothfeld · curated 1 time

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From the curator

NOEMA14 min readThe AIs Are Not Going RogueBut they still pose risks.

The New Yorker12 min readWill A.I. Still Take Our Jobs?The A.I. jobs apocalypse hasn’t arrived. Something else is happening instead.

aeon.co20 min readWhy real intelligence is something more than optimisation | Aeon EssaysIf intelligence is merely optimisation then machines will outrun us. Kant tells us why human reason is so much more

nautil.us5 min read“Morally Binding” AI Safety Pledge Mocked - NautilusAI Safety experts seem to agree the companies can’t self-regulate, and the new White House accord lacks teeth

The Marginalian5 min readThe Common Language of Science: Einstein’s Clarion Call to Divided Humanity in a Rare 1941 Recording“Perfection of means and confusion of goals seem — in my opinion — to characterize our age.”

The New Yorker13 min readThe Humanism Driving the Anti-A.I. MovementAt the Pro-Human Assembly in Washington, D.C., attendees talked less about jobs and policy, and more about their philosophy of life.