Artificial Intelligence and You

The book Why Greatness Cannot Be Planned: The Myth of the Objective, is not just a management/leadership motivational book. Its authors, Kenneth Stanley and Joel Lehman, are AI researchers who stumbled upon a life truth while conducting experiments in genetic algorithms.

With the help of the PicBreeder program, they demonstrated that what we think we know about achieving goals is wrong. That pursuing an ambitious goal by following the direction that seems to make the most progress towards it is counterproductive. AI proved to them that all that conventional wisdom about OKRs is harmful. And sent them on a mission to convey that learning to the rest of the world.

Hear how AI achieved such a startling change of heart in part 1 of our interview, the first time both of them have been interviewed together.

Ken was previously Charles Millican Professor of Computer Science at the University of Central Florida; Joel is a machine learning researcher interested in algorithmic creativity, AI safety, and artificial life. Both were at Uber AI Labs, where Ken was head of Core AI research and Joel was a founding member, and they were both again at OpenAI, co-leading the Open-Endedness team (studying algorithms that can innovate endlessly).

All this plus our usual look at today's AI headlines.

Transcript and URLs referenced at HumanCusp Blog.

"How Might Transhumans Control Superintelligence?" That's the provocative title of a new paper by a returning guest, futurist Tony Czarnecki. Tony is a member of the Chatham House, and the Managing Partner of Sustensis, both in London. Sustensis is a think tank for inspirations for humanity’s transition to coexistence with superintelligence. 

Terms like "futurist," "transhuman," and "superintelligence" may have persuaded you that this is a discussion rooted in the far future, but Tony argues how we are heading for a "tipping point" in 2030. In part 2, we talk about how "transhuman" evolution comes into play and what sort of changes we might undergo as a species.

All this plus our usual look at today's AI headlines.

Transcript and URLs referenced at HumanCusp Blog.

"How Might Transhumans Control Superintelligence?" That's the provocative title of a new paper by a returning guest, futurist Tony Czarnecki. Tony is a member of the Chatham House, and the Managing Partner of Sustensis, both in London. Sustensis is a think tank for inspirations for humanity’s transition to coexistence with superintelligence. 

Terms like "futurist," "transhuman," and "superintelligence" may have persuaded you that this is a discussion rooted in the far future, but Tony argues how we are heading for a "tipping point" in 2030. In part 1, we unpack that timetable and why 2030 is so important.

All this plus our usual look at today's AI headlines.

Transcript and URLs referenced at HumanCusp Blog.

In our now-traditional end-of-year episode, we look back on the year to date and forward to the year to be. I am joined by previous guests David Wood, chair of the London Futurists and author of the recent book The Singularity Principles: Anticipating and managing cataclysmically disruptive technologies, and Dan Turchin, host of the AI and the Future of Work podcast and CEO of PeopleReign. Together, we review what happened with AI in 2022 and how our predictions fared, and then make some predictions for 2023. We also have a lot to say about what ChatGPT has done and will do to the business landscape.

All this plus our usual look at today's AI headlines.

Transcript and URLs referenced at HumanCusp Blog.

The AI arms race between China and the United States continues to heat up following China's declaration that they intend to lead the world in all aspects of AI by 2030. Handel Jones has over 50 years of experience in the electronics industry and consulting for International Business Strategies for over 30 years, supporting governments and corporations globally, analyzing technology and predicting corporate and government strategy and market trends. His new book is When AI Rules the World: China, the US, and the Race to Control a Smart Planet, and so he is just the person to tell us what's happening with AI in China.

This interview will be of enormous use to anyone who is in or adjacent to international relations, educational strategies, or microcomputer technology supply chains. In the second half of the interview we discuss China’s development of its transportation infrastructure, developments in space, and different attitudes towards AI development between China and the West.

All this plus our usual look at today's AI headlines.

Transcript and URLs referenced at HumanCusp Blog.

The AI arms race between China and the United States continues to heat up following China's declaration that they intend to lead the world in all aspects of AI by 2030. Handel Jones has over 50 years of experience in the electronics industry and consulting for International Business Strategies for over 30 years, supporting governments and corporations globally, analyzing technology and predicting corporate and government strategy and market trends. His new book is When AI Rules the World: China, the US, and the Race to Control a Smart Planet, and so he is just the person to tell us what's happening with AI in China.

This interview will be of enormous use to anyone who is in or adjacent to international relations, educational strategies, or microcomputer technology supply chains. In part 1 we discuss Chinese attitudes towards privacy and surveillance, their education strategy for AI, the impact of the recent sanctions on both their plans for Taiwan and the economic outlook in the West, and differences in patterns of innovation between the West and China. 

All this plus our usual look at today's AI headlines.

Transcript and URLs referenced at HumanCusp Blog.

The legend of Alan Turing continues to grow; but what was his real contribution to today's world? To get a solid idea of the size and shape of Turing's legacy, I turned to Jonathan Bowen, co-author of The Turing Guide, a comprehensive account of Turing's life and times. Jonathan is is a fellow of the British Computer Society, a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Emeritus Professor at London South Bank University, and an adjunct professor or visiting professor of many universities.

Turing, of course, was notable for his role at Bletchley Park in WWII decoding the ENIGMA transmissions, estimated by some at personally shortening the war by two years or longer. But this did not come to light for decades afterwards due to official secrets. Turing is famous in computer science for the Turing Machine and in AI for the Turing Test. But there is even more to him.

In part 2 you can hear Jonathan tell us about what Turing did after the war, his work in biology and quantum physics, and the club that sparked so much of Turing's collaborations. (A full list of links provided by Jonathan is in the transcript.)

All this plus our usual look at today's AI headlines.

Transcript and URLs referenced at HumanCusp Blog.

The legend of Alan Turing continues to grow; but what was his real contribution to today's world? To get a solid idea of the size and shape of Turing's legacy, I turned to Jonathan Bowen, co-author of The Turing Guide, a comprehensive account of Turing's life and times. Jonathan is is a fellow of the British Computer Society, a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Emeritus Professor at London South Bank University, and an adjunct professor or visiting professor of many universities.

Turing, of course, was notable for his role at Bletchley Park in WWII decoding the ENIGMA transmissions, estimated by some at personally shortening the war by two years or longer. But this did not come to light for decades afterwards due to official secrets. Turing is famous in computer science for the Turing Machine and in AI for the Turing Test. But there is even more to him.

In part 1 you can hear Jonathan tell us about Turing's real contributions at Bletchley Park, where Turing ranks in the history of science, what Jonathan would have put in The Imitation Game, and Turing's connection with Oxford University. (A full list of links provided by Jonathan is in the transcript.)

All this plus our usual look at today's AI headlines.

Transcript and URLs referenced at HumanCusp Blog.