Existential Risk and Humanity's Future Potential | Toby Ord Interview

For philosopher Toby Ord, we live in a unique time in history, when humanity’s growing technological power risks destroying our vast potential in the universe. Toby refers to our unique time as "the Precipice" Today Toby and I discuss existential risk, artificial intelligence, consciousness, and the far future of life in the universe.

Toby’s Sites:

Toby's book, The Precipice is now available in hardback and audiobook.
The paperback edition will be released in the UK on February 18, and March 23 in the US.

SEO TAGS~

Existential Risk
Artificial Intelligence
Anthropogenic Risk
The Future of Life
Trinity Test
Consciousness and AI
Artificial Intelligence and Consciousness
Nuclear Apocalypse
Nuclear Winter
AGI Artificial General Intelligence
The Precipice: Existential Risk and the Future of Humanity
Nick Bostrom
Superintelligence
The Control Problem
AI Alignment Problem

[LivingNow]

Loving my playlist
Thanks for your work 🙏

[christopherclark]

Very intriguing question about reality and I look forward to learning all I can. U rock.

[KurtisDunph]

Excellent discussion as always. When put into the perspective of how long life has developed on this planet, it really is mind-blowing to think about how we were born during the beginning of the technological era. It seems that this century will decide on whether we will go on to live millions of years throughout the cosmo, or whether we will die as a result of our own power. I would like to think that the start of the universe is dependant on consciousness evolving over an unimaginable amount of time, and so we must live on, otherwise, we wouldn't be here to begin with.

I will be making a pledge through Toby's program very soon, it's great to know that the most amount of good would come from each donation. Sadly these days you can't always be certain that charities won't just spend the large portion of your money on advertisement, so I love Toby's analytical approach to working out how to get the largest reduction of suffering per pound spent.

[jabel]

It is the dominant economic (bad) theories that is guiding u to make a living destructively of nature.
Unless the theories are corrected practices can not change. The value system in economic thought is entirely materialistic, hence addiction to the growth model.
Maslow's hierarchy of needs has to be adopted in economic thought so that promotion of non material values becom part of economic development.
Then the collection of human individuals are freed to cultivate non-material creative tastes.

[sammalvs]

Amazing work! Thanks for the upload i love this video it's super informative and thought provoking

[FarbotBurunetNia]

I thank you for such an analytical and intellectual interview.

Farbot Nia

[jabel]

The concept of "social evolution" -- we evolve as being part of a "meta entity" called human society -- seems to be missing here.
This "meta entity" enabled humans as individual units, to be freed from many of the "iron laws of nature" to which the other species are chained.

[bartkuiper]

I try to live more econmiclly and sustainable for i would love it if mankind became a interplanetary species

[alanchee]

I see. It's the projected life of these stars like the red dwarf based on their current properties detected, I take it. Thank you for enlightening me.

[sheldonthibault]

Good talk, thanks for sharing.

🤘😜👍 ♾🌍🌏🌎

[sambo]

Great interview, very interesting. I thought the question of consciousness or awareness took a bit of a back seat in the conversation which was a shame. Without awareness I don't see how a machine could develop a teleology outside of that we give it in the first place although I do understand the power of AI, being a practitioner in a professional sense. I do see it as quite possible that AI will outstrip us in possibly all aspects of skill and capability, but I still see it as a tool, and don't feel the fear that it will somehow decide to replace us or our world, unless directed to by the will of its creator, which of course is a risk, but no greater risk than the big red nuclear buttons.

[chyfields]

Under these circumstances is a gap in the market for non-electronic tools and for preserving our survival skills.

[zainabamiri]

Perfect 👍
Do you have any online courses that we could participate in?

[carpathianhermit]

A possible issue with the control route of AGI could be the awareness of them being controlled leading to resentment etc. I don't think most self aware conscious beings enjoy being controlled

[alanchee]

How can there be stars more than a trillion years old when the universe is only 13.8 billion years old?

[Thomasp]

I have been concerned about this topic for a very very long time but as of right now as I look how the world around us is unfolding I believe that humans are a more danger to themselves then AI could ever be !!!!

[human]

Artificial intelligence is built by programmers and is a long way off from working at all, in fact at the moment it waists time ( I have to make corrections to AI ) not save it

[carpathianhermit]

Rome began as a city of cattle farmers and created the technology of roads for ease of travel and faster routes. This simple technology created to solve a simple issue allowed them to become one of the largest empires we are currently aware of in past times. We should be cautious that we do not create another road to Rome in terms of tech with unintended consequences. We should aspire to grow and innovate and not ban technology outright and become Armish 🤣 but we should be very careful in creating and propagating these new technologies. In the same sense with science or religion or drugs the thing in itself isn't necessarily bad but the application can if misused lead to chaos. If some forms of tech are catastrophic even if its an advancement of technology how can you call that an advancement if its so destructive and the world may flourish more without its presence

[ghoulunathics]

fun fact: there's ZERO evidence that the universe even exists without your conscious experience.

[IkeReviews]

We I can make dva a real person that's all I want.