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Robert Wright

Published podcast speaker

Claims
26
Episodes
1
Shows
1
Named items
0

Claim ledger

What Robert said.

26 transcript-backed records

01 / belief

I sensed a lot of optimism, but not really about the role AI would play in the future, more about just this paradigm that he was championing, which was then, you know, kind of a maverick paradigm, it wasn't mainstream, that it would prevail, that it would prove to be, uh, the one true path to artificial intelligence, which I think has turned out to be the case.

“I sensed a lot of optimism, but not really about the role AI would play in the future, more about just this paradigm that he was championing, which was then, you know, kind of a maverick paradigm, it wasn't mainstream, that it would prevail, that it would prove to be, uh, the one true path to artificial intelligence, which I think has turned out to be the case.”
Speaker
Robert Wright
Publisher
The Cognitive Revolution

03 / belief

Recapitulates, in a way, a misleading word, because the cognitive functionality is not the exact same mechanisms the brain uses, but, you know, I think close enough in a lot of, uh, cases.

“Recapitulates, in a way, a misleading word, because the cognitive functionality is not the exact same mechanisms the brain uses, but, you know, I think close enough in a lot of, uh, cases.”
Speaker
Robert Wright
Publisher
The Cognitive Revolution

05 / belief

A- and one, you know, I, I emphasize in the, in the book that y- you know, in, in textbooks, in biology textbooks, you look up arms races, it's likely to talk about races between species. But arms races within species, including the human species, have been very important, including in the development, I think, of our deceptive tendencies and our skills of argumentation and, for that matter, our power seeking.

“A- and one, you know, I, I emphasize in the, in the book that y- you know, in, in textbooks, in biology textbooks, you look up arms races, it's likely to talk about races between species. But arms races within species, including the human species, have been very important, including in the development, I think, of our deceptive tendencies and our skills of argumentation and, for that matter, our power seeking.”
Speaker
Robert Wright
Publisher
The Cognitive Revolution

08 / commitment

Now, I don't have his assurance that this is, uh, divine will, so I, I can't be as optimistic as he may have been. But I, I do think, I will say that, you know, you can look at a directional system and have a rational argument about whether it does seem to have some of the hallmarks of purpose, which again, doesn't mean there are any spooky forces driving it.

“Now, I don't have his assurance that this is, uh, divine will, so I, I can't be as optimistic as he may have been. But I, I do think, I will say that, you know, you can look at a directional system and have a rational argument about whether it does seem to have some of the hallmarks of purpose, which again, doesn't mean there are any spooky forces driving it.”
Speaker
Robert Wright
Publisher
The Cognitive Revolution

09 / belief

There's clearly a lot of people in the organization who take the overall challenge seriously. They've done a lot of, you know, alignment work that's been very illuminating, and this paper they put out I think is, is a great benefit, so.

“There's clearly a lot of people in the organization who take the overall challenge seriously. They've done a lot of, you know, alignment work that's been very illuminating, and this paper they put out I think is, is a great benefit, so.”
Speaker
Robert Wright
Publisher
The Cognitive Revolution

10 / belief

Now this isn't the question you asked, but I think that's an assumption that simply has not been evaluated carefully because there really is no evidence that China's that, that, that, that that's the Chinese business model, I think, to, to...

“Now this isn't the question you asked, but I think that's an assumption that simply has not been evaluated carefully because there really is no evidence that China's that, that, that, that that's the Chinese business model, I think, to, to...”
Speaker
Robert Wright
Publisher
The Cognitive Revolution

11 / belief

What I mean is, you know, the way, you know, my, you know, kind treatment of my, my dogs while they were alive was related to my belief that it was like something to be them.

“What I mean is, you know, the way, you know, my, you know, kind treatment of my, my dogs while they were alive was related to my belief that it was like something to be them.”
Speaker
Robert Wright
Publisher
The Cognitive Revolution

13 / belief

The headline said it was calling for a global pause, which it wasn't, but it, they did say, you know, maybe the time will come to slow down or pause, and so we think we should now enter a period of studying what that would take.

“The headline said it was calling for a global pause, which it wasn't, but it, they did say, you know, maybe the time will come to slow down or pause, and so we think we should now enter a period of studying what that would take.”
Speaker
Robert Wright
Publisher
The Cognitive Revolution

14 / belief

I would also say, you know, Peter Singer's book, The Expanding Circle, I think documents that over time, actually our species has already undergone some moral improvement.

“I would also say, you know, Peter Singer's book, The Expanding Circle, I think documents that over time, actually our species has already undergone some moral improvement.”
Speaker
Robert Wright
Publisher
The Cognitive Revolution

15 / belief

You know, we, we, we agree that in recognition of the non-zero-sum dynamics that, you know, among nations and so on that are posed by technologies, especially AI, a certain kind of global governance makes sense.

“You know, we, we, we agree that in recognition of the non-zero-sum dynamics that, you know, among nations and so on that are posed by technologies, especially AI, a certain kind of global governance makes sense.”
Speaker
Robert Wright
Publisher
The Cognitive Revolution

16 / belief

We need to be aware that, you know, AIs could have an unfortunate effect on our psychology, on our self-conception, uh, unfortunate for the world, uh, and I think especially unfortunate now that I think, you know, this technology needs to be governed by a true global community.

“We need to be aware that, you know, AIs could have an unfortunate effect on our psychology, on our self-conception, uh, unfortunate for the world, uh, and I think especially unfortunate now that I think, you know, this technology needs to be governed by a true global community.”
Speaker
Robert Wright
Publisher
The Cognitive Revolution

17 / belief

Now, one implication of that, I think, is that that should help us understand some of the virtues of economic and cultural and scientific engagement, because there's something...

“Now, one implication of that, I think, is that that should help us understand some of the virtues of economic and cultural and scientific engagement, because there's something...”
Speaker
Robert Wright
Publisher
The Cognitive Revolution

18 / belief

Now we're on the verge of, I would say we're on the verge of a global community, and we need to form one if we're gonna handle the technological challenges we face wisely, especially AI.

“Now we're on the verge of, I would say we're on the verge of a global community, and we need to form one if we're gonna handle the technological challenges we face wisely, especially AI.”
Speaker
Robert Wright
Publisher
The Cognitive Revolution

19 / belief

Uh, you know, Teilhard saw, I think pretty presciently given when he was writing, that there was this technology was kind of creating this something that looked kind of like a global brain.

“Uh, you know, Teilhard saw, I think pretty presciently given when he was writing, that there was this technology was kind of creating this something that looked kind of like a global brain.”
Speaker
Robert Wright
Publisher
The Cognitive Revolution

20 / evaluation

The reason you haven't heard about it isn't because there's no chance it's true, it's just it's not the kinda thing our media system really wants to amplify. And, and s- similarly, our picture of what's going on in China, there are definitely some, some things I would consider bad going on there, but I guarantee our view of them, of, our view of even what they are is not the same as the average Chinese person's, and in some cases I think our view may be kind of distorted because it's like, who want, who wants to be the person who says, "I don't think that human rights situation is quite as bad as you're saying"?

“The reason you haven't heard about it isn't because there's no chance it's true, it's just it's not the kinda thing our media system really wants to amplify. And, and s- similarly, our picture of what's going on in China, there are definitely some, some things I would consider bad going on there, but I guarantee our view of them, of, our view of even what they are is not the same as the average Chinese person's, and in some cases I think our view may be kind of distorted because it's like, who want, who wants to be the person who says, "I don't think that human rights situation is quite as bad as you're saying"?”
Speaker
Robert Wright
Publisher
The Cognitive Revolution

21 / prediction

Well, that's also good for the world 'cause you're, you're, you're, you're creating less needless an-antagonism. So it can happen that self-help is good for the world, and I th- I'm hoping that as we exert selective pressure on AI models, we will, I mean, be, be more conscious maybe than typically of the effect on the world because I think we're, we're approaching a crossroads where, where the world really can't afford, afford to continue to be so divided, and neither can individual nations.

“Well, that's also good for the world 'cause you're, you're, you're, you're creating less needless an-antagonism. So it can happen that self-help is good for the world, and I th- I'm hoping that as we exert selective pressure on AI models, we will, I mean, be, be more conscious maybe than typically of the effect on the world because I think we're, we're approaching a crossroads where, where the world really can't afford, afford to continue to be so divided, and neither can individual nations.”
Speaker
Robert Wright
Publisher
The Cognitive Revolution

22 / recommendation

A- a- that, that would be the fundamental philosophical shift our foreign policy needs, and I think you'd find that that would relieve a fair amount of tension with China right there if, if you, you know, if you quit lecturing about them, them about that.

“A- a- that, that would be the fundamental philosophical shift our foreign policy needs, and I think you'd find that that would relieve a fair amount of tension with China right there if, if you, you know, if you quit lecturing about them, them about that.”
Speaker
Robert Wright
Publisher
The Cognitive Revolution

23 / prediction

Now, in, in certain ways, I think if you ask what does it encourage, uh, the selective process where, where, you know, consumers say, "I like this model," and businesses say, "I like that model," and then maybe powerful actors have a say, especially if there's market concentration or government control.

“Now, in, in certain ways, I think if you ask what does it encourage, uh, the selective process where, where, you know, consumers say, "I like this model," and businesses say, "I like that model," and then maybe powerful actors have a say, especially if there's market concentration or government control.”
Speaker
Robert Wright
Publisher
The Cognitive Revolution

24 / evaluation

Like, you know, you, you, you, you have to understand that we are widely viewed as completely hypocritical. And so, a- a- and, and once you see that, I don't know, it seems to me that you just realize, well, either we are going to have to start playing by the rules or we're gonna have to do a little less lecturing of oth- to other countries about playing by the rules, because human nature is just such that that kind of hypocrisy doesn't fly.

“Like, you know, you, you, you, you have to understand that we are widely viewed as completely hypocritical. And so, a- a- and, and once you see that, I don't know, it seems to me that you just realize, well, either we are going to have to start playing by the rules or we're gonna have to do a little less lecturing of oth- to other countries about playing by the rules, because human nature is just such that that kind of hypocrisy doesn't fly.”
Speaker
Robert Wright
Publisher
The Cognitive Revolution

25 / commitment

I think we're gonna have to become, you know, in a, in a sense, I don't want to sound too ambitious, but, you know, better people if we're gonna, if the conflict that currently afflicts relations among within nations is to subside sufficiently For us to get through the AI revolution in good shape, because I do think it's a, it's a global challenge.

“I think we're gonna have to become, you know, in a, in a sense, I don't want to sound too ambitious, but, you know, better people if we're gonna, if the conflict that currently afflicts relations among within nations is to subside sufficiently For us to get through the AI revolution in good shape, because I do think it's a, it's a global challenge.”
Speaker
Robert Wright
Publisher
The Cognitive Revolution

26 / preference

I try to, you know, present that in an accessible fashion, and that's why I, I start the book with Hinton, because this thing I had kind of backwards, I think is really the key to, to understanding the power of the, the deep learning revolution.

“I try to, you know, present that in an accessible fashion, and that's why I, I start the book with Hinton, because this thing I had kind of backwards, I think is really the key to, to understanding the power of the, the deep learning revolution.”
Speaker
Robert Wright
Publisher
The Cognitive Revolution
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