AI and our future with Yuval Noah Harari and Mustafa Suleyman

The Economist brought together Yuval Noah Harari and Mustafa Suleyman to grapple with the biggest technological revolution of our times. They debate the impact of AI on our immediate futures, how the technology can be controlled and whether it could ever have agency.

00:00 - Harari and Suleyman discuss the future of AI
00:51 - What will the world look like in 2028?
03:35 - Is AI comparable to an alien invasion?
06:22 - The importance of regulation

[elba_magellan]

This was waaay too short for such an important topic

[electrology]

A great civilization is not conquered from without until it has destroyed itself from within. - Will Durant

[PascalBachmann]

The Economist's debate between Yuval Noah Harari and Mustafa Suleyman on AI is a timely and important one. As AI continues to develop and evolve, it is essential that we have a frank and open discussion about its potential impact on our society.

[chrisoffersen]

This is going to test our collective values as never before. Not the values we claim to have, but those that we practice.

If this idea brings a feeling of creeping horror, that’s probably a sane reaction.

The “alien agency” will be the human quest for power.

[tahsinozgur]

Mr. Suleyman sounds very competent, intelligent, even consciencious. I therefore find it amazing that he actually believes that, once released, this genie can be contained by any regulating body.

[bwanablanton]

I was shocked to see Suleyman laugh in the face of Harari. Sheer hubris. We can take this as a lesson that some tech moguls need alignment as well. Suleyman seems to think AI can be contained if we just put our minds to it. Yet this has not been the human experience with technology at all. Competing interests, world views, ideologies, ambitions, and avarice always enter the picture. Here we are, facing multiple global crises because we do not have insight, wisdom, or self control with what we build. People will be duped and led by the nose by AI because it will, as Harari understands, will operate under the hood, hacking our civilization's operating system. Alien intelligence is a not a bad metaphor. Don't laugh.

[ivanbenisscott]

is there a longer version? these two are very important people in the conversation of AI, especially mustafa

[posthocprior]

Both the moderator and Mustafa misunderstood Yuval's point. His point isn't about the technology itself. That is, it isn't necessarily about regulation or alignment in order to prevent the technology from developing in a manner inconsistent with humanity's interest. It's that AI has inherently become an ideology; the same as the macroeconomics is an ideology or the free market is an ideology. That is, there is nothing inherently dangerous about these concepts. But, when macroeconomics was defined as communism and it was placed in the volatile period of early 20th century Russia, it became a murderous force. If AI becomes a tool that can solve problems independently and better than humans, it's more of an ideology. Then the danger becomes in what context it's used in.

[moderncontemplative]

Absolutely fascinating interview! This is why I love the economist. I have been following their work for roughly 15 years. I like how Mustafa laughed when Yuval made a poignant point, but then quickly adopted a solemn posture, and nodded his head, subtly, in agreement with him about the potential agency of AI which, would be connected with the advent of Superintelligence, a.k.a ASI.

[neurojitsu]

The UK's Conservative government has developed a habit of not contributing to public debate on anything for several years now, and the silence is deafening. But on this issue, it's pure negligence to give up on public consultation and education when Rishi Sunak is apparently such an advocate of the digital economy and AI in particular.

We've seen new technologies with transformational power before, such as GM crops and biotech, but both were and are regulated with licensing. But with AI digital technologies, the risk is more economic and psychological and so free marketeers see it as just another innovation. The problem of harm - such as that caused by social media to young people's mental health, and to the public discourse and democratic systems - is one of measurement: how can we measure (and therefore control) what we don't understand? As I see it, governments need to consult their people on the risk appetite they have for experimenting with AI technologies, and agree boundaries and rules that regulate their application. So far all the consultation is behind closed doors, with no effort to educate and consult and this is just wrong in my opinion.

[NXNX]

This should have been a longer video...

[juanmontoya]

Make as much sense as a heavy metal front gate while windows are broken and the fence is flimsy.

[texapu]

🎯 Key Takeaways for quick navigation:

01:15 En los próximos cinco años, se espera que la inteligencia artificial sea capaz de realizar llamadas telefónicas, negociar, coordinar cadenas de suministro y utilizar interfaces de programación de aplicaciones (APIs).
02:24 Yuval Noah Harari plantea que la llegada de la IA con capacidad de tomar decisiones y generar ideas independientemente marca el fin de la historia dominada por los humanos.
03:33 La regulación y contención de la IA es un desafío crucial, y se requiere un consenso global y nuevas instituciones para garantizar la seguridad y la confianza pública.
07:57 Es fundamental que las naciones occidentales establezcan sus valores y regulaciones en lugar de participar en una carrera hacia abajo en el desarrollo de la IA, adoptando un principio precautorio para proteger la sociedad.

Made with HARPA AI

[stephenyounglove]

Will it ever be able to predict the weather two weeks into the future?

[AligwaraChimere]

I expect this video to be longer. Also, as a person, I'm worried about AI taking over a lot of jobs shortly. Yes, it will solve a lot of problems. The question is, "What happens when the people it solves problems for cannot afford it?" This to me is of significant concern. However, it doesn't change the fact that we must accept innovation. The question here is, how do we merge innovation and human employment?

[atohms]

Why the laughter? The alien analogy fits!

[MajidZanjiran]

It's a Morphy Rule thing. When you create something that can grow to a dangerous creature, sooner or later someone will show up and make it get there.

[ASHRIC]

It’s novel to think human will comply and self regulate when developing technology with world dominance capability especially one that can gravely impact humanity adversely. I think there was a scientist that cloned human despite it being unethical and prohibited - Will such scientist hold back and comply, but this time on AI technology ?

[warchief]

They said we would autonomous vehicle twenty years ago. Anyone remember cold fusion????

[climbsnowboardtravelrepeat]

Mr. Suleyman is so aware of where things are going, and what can and cannot be done. When Yuval pointed out the elephant in the room - that we will not be able to control this thing no matter what - Mr. Suleyman's face gives everything away.