'Life Will Get Weird The Next 3 Years!' - Future of AI, Humanity & Utopia vs Dystopia | Nick Bostrom

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Welcome to Impact Theory, I’m Tom Bilyeu and in today’s episode, Nick Bostrom and I dive into the moral and societal implications of AI as it becomes increasingly advanced.

Nick Bostrom is a leading philosopher, author, and expert on AI here to discuss the future of AI, its challenges, and its profound impact on society, meaning, and our pursuit of happiness.

We touch on treating AI with moral consideration, the potential centralization of power, automation of critical sectors like police and military, and the creation of hyper-stimuli that could impact society profoundly.

We also discuss Nick’s book, Deep Utopia, and what the ideal human life will look like in a future dominated by advanced technology, AI, and biotechnology.

Our conversation navigates through pressing questions about AI aligning with human values, the catastrophic consequences of powerful AI systems, and the need for deeper philosophical and ethical considerations as AI continues to evolve.

Don’t miss your chance to explore these groundbreaking ideas, challenge your concept of human worth and values, and consider what the future holds for humanity and AI.

CHAPTER MARKERS:

[0:00] Utopian literature skepticism
[19:23] The dystopian future of AI bots
[43:52] Polarization by technology
[1:02:01] Neural technology & the organic brain
[1:26:00] How to avoid conflicts with AI

POWERFUL QUOTES FROM Nick Bostrom:

"Oftentimes people with these social visions, if they actually gained power to implement them, have created a trail of havoc and misery."

"What would give us purpose in our lives if there's nothing we need to do?"

"Some of the malaise in modern society might be from the absence of certain kinds of survival pressures or opportunities that were always there in our evolutionary past."

“If it's extremely slow and happens over many decades, then it might be kind of the boiling of the frog phenomenon, where people like are using this technology and of course every little increment makes it better."

"Instead of having some guys who have to drive the garbage truck around the city every morning to collect the garbage, you could have a self-driving garbage truck with an optimus robot that tops off and picks up your garbage can and does all of that automatically."

"You could imagine accelerating and have a thousand years of medical research progress in just a couple of years when you have these digital minds working on this, like, maybe unlocking cures for reverse the aging process, etcetera, and then forestalling a huge amount of human misery and death that is currently pretty unavoidable."

"If you value upholding a tradition, there might be no other way of upholding it than actually by continuing for humans to do various things on their own, like setting up a population of robots that kind of enacted these past terminus or something might not count as continuing the tradition."

"If even a mouse has a possible claim to sentience and at least some simple form of moral status, then AI systems that are roughly equivalent to a mouse in their sort of behavioral repertoire, I think, would also be prima facie candidates for moral status."

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Themes: Mindset, Finance, World Affairs, Health & Productivity, Future & Tech, Simulation Theory & Physics, Dating & Relationships

[TomBilyeu]

WARNING: I will never ask for your contact info in the comments section, that is someone impersonating me!

[ElectricEric]

00:46 🛡 The Future of AI & Society
03:42 📚 Defining Utopia
05:49 🤔 The Value of Human Life in a Solved World
09:33 🤖 The Pursuit of Happiness & Purpose
11:02 🛡 The Importance of Purposeful Striving
14:42 💼 The Impact of Utopia on Human Nature
19:05 🤖 The Potential of AI in the Next 3-5 Years
20:46 🛡 The Probabilistic View of AI's Future
23:03 ⚠ The Singularity & Intelligence Explosion
28:08 🤖 Adapting to the Future of AI
31:16 🛡 The Uncertainty of the Future & the Need for Short-Term Strategies
33:04 📊 The Potential for a Post-Human Future
36:43 🚀 Trajectories & the Future of AI Development
41:44 🌪 The Bifurcation of Humanity & the Rise of AI
43:11 🚀 The Impact of AI on Society & the Potential for Polarization
46:26 🚀 The Impact of AI on Society & Humanity
51:03 🤖 The Potential for Dystopia & Utopia
53:25 📚 The Impact of AI on Culture & Society
56:09 🚀 Automation & Job Displacement
1:00:02 🚀 Economic Growth & Utopia
1:00:21 🚀 Medical Breakthroughs & Human Upgrades
1:04:07 🚀 Neurotechnology & Utopia
1:05:30 🚀 The Possibility of Simulated Reality & the Future of Humanity
1:09:11 🏆 The Importance of Purpose & Meaning in a Technologically Advanced World
1:12:24 🤖 The Ethics of Artificial Intelligence & Consciousness
1:14:05 🤖 Moral Status of AI & Animals
1:17:12 🛡 The Simulation Hypothesis & Moral Obligations
1:19:02 📚 AI & Creativity
1:21:19 📝 The Ethics of AI & Data Sharing
1:23:14 🤖 The Human Condition & the Fear of Consequences
1:24:34 💡 The Concerns of Ilia Setk & the Need for AI Safety
1:25:29 💡 The Need for Alignment & the Value of Values

[LostToPixels]

OK, I'm fine with some people that just NEED to have challenging work or 'purpose', but I myself never felt the need to chase these goals or fulfilments. I have many hobbies and interests like reading books, watching movies, playing video games etc. and if I never had to work again a day in my life from tomorrow I would still have VERY fulfilled life and still lack at least a few hours a day for doing everything I'd like to do that day...

[theagileadventure]

This might be my favorite interview Tom has done to date. He’s speechless.

[ampdev]

I will never buy harribo gummies because of that loud advertisement in the middle of this video. there you go algorithm, read this.

[gubzs]

48:53 "The only hope we have, and this is ultra dystopian, is that people just try to remain distracted by entertainment and don't care that their lives aren't getting better."
Tom that's already the world we live in. The vast majority of people live that way right now.

[frankwhite]

Love Bostrom! So intelligent and calm. Thanks for having him on! Mahalo!

[leoniebachmann]

If you live in the UK the end of humanity has already started.

[frankwhite]

There is more to life than business and goal achievement, Tom. Believe it or not. Many things can bring people meaning and joy. Try growing a garden, reading a book, walking at sunset, cooking a great meal with friends and family, or just singing a song? Your worldview is so hyper-goal-oriented. It's made you very successful and kudos, no doubt, but what are you missing? As regards AI - narrow AI could be great for human civilization as regards relieving the burden of labor but AGI or ASI is not recommended. Too many unknowns.

[naturalyogi]

That thumbnail and title are so inspirational and not click baity at all. I feel so uplifted right now. Next I am going to watch a video about Panamanian foot fungus to really start the day right.

[flickwtchr]

Tom can't comprehend that there are humans who have lived fulfilling lives outside of the hustle entrepreneur culture. Especially for those living in countries that have a sane society with healthcare available to most citizens, affordable housing, etc. Yes such places have existed, and still exist on this Earth. But the libertarian and neoliberal austerity pushers are determined to turn those countries into something that resembles what has become historic inequality in the US where the 1% wrings every last drop of money from everyone else, no matter how much misery it causes the masses.

[chmchnga]

I love that Tom just asks the DUMBEST questions of some of our brightest minds (like he's a 9th grader). It's a great way to get at the truth(s).

Semper Fi

[TuringTestFiction]

Great interview. I really like how Bostrom carefully thinks through possibilities that most people unfortunately dismiss as ridiculous.

[thejunglejag]

Usually I feel rather alone with my reflections about the future. It is refreshing to listen to intelligent people exchanging about these topics. It makes me feel like perhaps I am not crazy (not sure if that is fortunate or not, though).
Watching a one hour video (I speed up a little) isn’t always a waste of time. Thanks for this, you both have done something useful. And that is not nothing whilst there is still room for purpose and meaning.

[OlSCrabs]

We already live in what would have been considered a sci-fi dystopia, even just 20 years ago.

[johnbuckner]

He needs an AI generated beach scene on his green screen. And he should wear a Hawaiian shirt.

[jessethompson]

I find it odd how purpose and meaning will be affected negatively, there will be plenty of projects that everyone could choose to partake in like planet creations to things like art or have a mixture of leisure or just have leisure, whatever is wanted, I can't see purpose and meaning being lost when there is so much to explore and accomplish with the restraint of survival being lifted by ai

[zando]

This guy is living my personal idea of a perfect life - just thinking writing speculating all the crazy outcomes and consequences of future scenarios for a living!

[tufailsmusings]

The discussion was truly insightful, offering lots of information and new perspectives. Tom's interviewing skills and ability to get to the heart of the topic are always impressive to me.

[futurehistory]

I guess when you consider how much the world changed between the late 1800s and mid-1900s (i.e. the rise of cinema, radio, cars, TV, airplanes and eventually space travel), it's not surprising that we too will live through extraordinary changes. That said, AI will likely be a bigger change than anything yet.