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It's Time to Investigate the AI Labs

629 points · 277 comments · ibobev

  1. nostrademons · · focus · HN ↗
    I mean, the reason that all these stories about AI being an existential threat to humanity are coming out is because they've made $3.1T in debt-fuelled spending commitments and now interest rates are going up. "AI will kill us all if we don't regulate it" is their "get out of debt free" card, so they can have the U.S. government stop the arms race, raise prices on their existing models, and declare force majeure on new DC commitments:

    <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;emeraldbook.org&#x2F;news&#x2F;sep-1426-3&#x2F;" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;emeraldbook.org&#x2F;news&#x2F;sep-1426-3&#x2F;

    <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=49830037">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=49830037

    It&#x27;s telling that the only AI-related company that is not sounding the AI safety drumbeat is NVidia, who is the only one that is cash-flow positive because of AI.

    1. jackb4040 · · focus · HN ↗
      I think you&#x27;d be really interested in this recent podcast by Ed Zitron, Adam Becker, and Cal Newport: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.youtube.com&#x2F;watch?v=0oVSnaINJ30" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.youtube.com&#x2F;watch?v=0oVSnaINJ30

      None of them are AI boosters, but they have something of a debate over whether the AI labs are doing what they&#x27;re doing out of financial desperation, or because they&#x27;re true believers in the rationalist cult. They also bring up Nvidia, though through the religious lens they are supposedly not bringing up AI Safety because Jensen predates the rationalists.

      In the end I don&#x27;t know how much the distinction matters. It&#x27;s easier to become an AI billionaire if you have an ideology that says AI billionaires are superheroes. The thing that pops this bubble will be economic reality, not them sobering up.

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