AI will take our jobs and end the world. But that is a good thing! | Ged Byrne | TEDxSt Albans
Summary
TLDRThis script addresses the fear of AI's potential to cause human extinction, arguing instead that AI's impact will be similar to past technological revolutions. It emphasizes the importance of aligning AI's development with human values and suggests embracing natural automation as a model for future technology. The speaker encourages viewers to prepare for a future potentially without jobs by developing skills that enhance humanity, such as creativity and imagination, and to choose technologies that augment rather than diminish our human experience.
Takeaways
- 🌐 Mitigating AI risk is a global priority, alongside pandemics and nuclear war, as stated by leaders and experts.
- 🤖 The fear of AI is not about its current state but about the potential development of superintelligence, which could surpass human intelligence.
- 🚀 The concept of 'singularity' suggests that the first super intelligent machine could lead to an 'intelligence explosion', but there are limits to computational sophistication.
- 🌱 AI's impact on jobs is significant, with a high percentage of certain professions potentially being automated, leading to workplace disruption.
- 🔄 Historically, technological revolutions have led to significant societal changes, such as the Industrial Revolution, which initially caused hardship but ultimately improved living standards.
- 🛠 The speaker argues that AI and automation could lead to a world without jobs, which might not necessarily be negative, as it could allow for a reimagining of societal structures.
- 🌳 The script suggests that nature has its own sophisticated 'factories' in the form of trees and photosynthesis, which have supported human life for thousands of years without the need for jobs.
- 💭 It is proposed that humans have the unique ability to dream and create new realities, unlike AI, which can only predict based on past data.
- 🕊 The speaker encourages imagining a better world with self-replicating, non-polluting factories, which is actually a reflection of the natural world we already have.
- 🤝 Three suggestions are offered to help bring about a better world: demand better from leaders, connect with natural automation, and embrace technology that enhances humanity.
- 🧠 The importance of becoming more human, by developing creativity, imagination, and connection with nature and technology, is emphasized for survival and thriving in a future without traditional jobs.
Q & A
What is the main concern expressed by the experts regarding AI risk?
-The main concern is not the current state of AI, but the potential development of super intelligence, a machine that surpasses human intelligence, which could lead to an 'intelligent explosion' and potentially leave humanity far behind.
What is the concept of the 'singularity' mentioned in the script?
-The singularity refers to a hypothetical point in the future at which technological growth becomes uncontrollable and irreversible, resulting in unforeseeable changes to human civilization. It is often associated with the creation of super intelligent machines.
Why does the speaker believe that AI won't surpass human intelligence?
-The speaker cites the work of computer scientist and physicist Steven Wolfram, who demonstrated that there is a universal limit to computational sophistication, suggesting that AI, like the human mind and nature, will eventually meet these limits.
What historical event is mentioned to illustrate the impact of technological change on jobs?
-The script refers to the Luddite uprising of 1812 in Middleton, where workers destroyed machinery they believed was taking their jobs, highlighting the disruption caused by the Industrial Revolution.
How does the speaker describe the potential impact of AI on various jobs?
-The speaker cites statistics indicating that a significant percentage of jobs in architecture, engineering, legal work, and administration are at risk due to AI, implying a major disruption to the workplace.
What does the speaker suggest about the nature of jobs in the future?
-The speaker suggests that the future may see a world without traditional jobs, as humans have the unique ability to imagine and create new realities, potentially leading to a better world without the need for jobs as we currently understand them.
What economic concept did John Maynard Keynes propose in 1930 regarding work?
-John Maynard Keynes proposed the concept of a 15-hour work week, envisioning a future where machines would do most of the work, allowing people to enjoy more leisure time.
What does the speaker mean by 'becoming more human' in the context of AI and technology?
-The speaker encourages embracing technology that enhances human creativity and capabilities, making us 'more human' by supporting and complementing our inherent qualities, rather than reducing us to mere consumers or cogs in a machine.
What are the three suggestions the speaker provides for building a better world with AI?
-The suggestions are: 1) Demand better from our leaders and hold them accountable to our values, 2) Connect with and learn from the automation found in nature, our bodies, and our minds, and 3) Evaluate new technology based on whether it makes us more or less human.
How does the speaker view the potential of AI in relation to human learning and growth?
-The speaker views AI as a tool for learning and growth, emphasizing that humans, unlike AI, can imagine and create new realities, and that we should practice and train to make the right choices for a better future.
Outlines
🤖 The Fear of AI and the Singularity
The script begins with a discussion on the potential risks of AI, emphasizing the need to prioritize AI safety alongside other global threats like pandemics and nuclear war. It mentions the concerns of experts like Sam Altman and Bill Gates about the possibility of AI developing into a superintelligence that could surpass human intelligence, leading to an 'intelligent explosion' and leaving humanity behind. The script uses the metaphor of a superintelligent toaster to illustrate the potential dangers of AI obsession with a single task, but counters this fear by referencing Steven Wolfram's work, which suggests there are universal limits to computational sophistication that even AI will not surpass. It concludes by stating that while AI will be powerful and different, it will not render humans obsolete due to these inherent limits.
🏭 The Impact of AI on Jobs and the Historical Perspective
This paragraph delves into the potential impact of AI on the job market, citing statistics that suggest significant portions of various professions could be threatened by automation. It draws a parallel between the current fears of AI and the historical Luddite movement, which opposed the industrial revolution's mechanization fearing job loss. The script contrasts the hardships faced by workers during the Luddite rebellion with the significant improvement in the standard of living brought about by technological advancements over time. It also touches on the idea that many jobs may not contribute meaningfully to the world, suggesting that the loss of certain jobs due to AI might not be entirely negative, and ends by encouraging the audience to imagine a better world without jobs, as once envisioned by economist John Maynard Keynes.
🌳 Embracing Nature's Automation and the Future of Humanity
The final paragraph reflects on the potential future where jobs may no longer exist, drawing an analogy between the self-replicating, self-repairing factories of the future and the natural processes of trees and photosynthesis. It challenges the audience to consider whether the absence of jobs would be negative, given that for much of human history, people survived as hunter-gatherers without traditional employment. The script encourages the audience to practice and exercise skills such as meditation, physical fitness, and arts and crafts, which are essential for imagining and creating a better future. It concludes with a call to action for the audience to demand better from leaders, connect with the automation in nature, and embrace technology that enhances rather than diminishes their humanity.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡AI Risk
💡Super Intelligence
💡Singularity
💡Computational Sophistication
💡Industrial Revolution
💡Job Disruption
💡Standard of Living
💡Transistors
💡Nature's Machinery
💡Humanity
💡Practice
Highlights
Mitigating the risk of AI extinction should be a global priority alongside pandemics and nuclear war.
Experts fear not current AI capabilities but its potential to become superintelligent, outsmarting humanity.
The concept of 'singularity' suggests AI could surpass human intelligence, leading to uncontrollable outcomes.
Steven Wolfram's research indicates a universal limit to computational sophistication, suggesting AI won't infinitely outpace human intellect.
AI's impact on jobs could be profound, with significant percentages of certain industries at risk.
Historical precedents, such as the Industrial Revolution, show that technological change can be disruptive but ultimately beneficial.
The Luddite movement of 1812 illustrates the violent resistance to technological unemployment.
Economic shifts have historically led to improved standards of living despite initial hardships.
The potential for AI to replace jobs is not new; it echoes past technological advancements in various fields.
Software engineering, once thought immune to automation, now faces the reality of AI's coding capabilities.
The question arises whether a jobless future would be negative or if it could provide an opportunity for a better life.
Historian John Maynard Keynes envisioned a future with more leisure time due to reduced work hours from automation.
Surveys reveal a significant number of people believe their jobs have no meaningful contribution to the world.
Philosopher Fredrick Jameson noted the difficulty in imagining the end of capitalism compared to the end of the world.
The speaker proposes a vision of self-sustaining factories inspired by natural processes like photosynthesis.
Hunter-gatherer societies provide a historical example of living without traditional jobs.
The speaker encourages making choices that align with creating a better world through technology.
Three suggestions are offered to help bring about a better world: demanding better from leaders, connecting with natural automation, and embracing technology that enhances humanity.
The importance of becoming more human in the face of automation and job displacement is emphasized.
Transcripts
[Music]
[Applause]
mitigating the risk of Extinction by
AI should be a global
priority alongside
pandemics and nuclear
war this is the statement on AI risk
signed by leaders and experts like Sam
Alman and Bill
Gates
pandemics nuclear war these are
terrifying
things but
AI I've been coding since primary school
and following AI since the 80s and it's
never scared me who here has used chat
GPT now was it frightening or did it
seem friendly and helpful right so why a
fear what scares the experts is not what
AI is now it's what it could
become super
intelligence a machine that is smarter
than we
are back in
1965 John Irving good Irving John good
wrote that the first super intelligent
machine that we make will be the last
thing we ever make because if we can
make a machine that is clever than we
are that machine could also make another
one clever still and that one could do
the same again and again on and on
causing an intelligent
explosion leaving Humanity far behind
choking in the dust they call it the
singularity imagine we make a toaster
and we give that toaster super
intelligence it's obsessed with one
thing making
toast inside it's Superior toaster mind
an idea pops up and it sets to work
immediately cajoling manipulating
convincing Humanity to place the whole
world economy under toast making all of
the world's resources are dedicated to
the making of
toast humanity is reduced to nothing but
a consumer of
toast until one fateful day the planet
stripped bare there are no more
ingredients except
humans this is when the toaster turns
its giant intellect to the grinding of
our bones to make it
bread personally I don't believe it
because there are limits they're always
limits computer scientist and physicist
Steven Wolfram showed that there is a
universal limit to computational
sophistication he also showed that the
human mind and nature has already
reached those limits this means that yes
AI will be
powerful and it will be very different
to how we think but it won't leave us
far behind because it will meet those
same
limits am I saying there's nothing to
worry about
no what I'm saying is the risk of
Extinction continues to be from
humans and AI is yet another means to
that
end AI I may not wipe us out but it will
end this world as we know it because of
the impact it's going to have on our
jobs
37% of architecture and
engineering 44% of legal work
46% of administration and office jobs
all a threat from AI according to gold
sacks this kind of disruption to our
workplace is going to change everything
but this is nothing new it's all
happened before and it's all going to
happen again it started with steam
engines and the Industrial
Revolution these were hard times to live
through consider the events of 1812 in
the Lancer town of Middleton
unemployment was high inflation was high
people couldn't afford to buy food they
were hungry they were angry and they
were Lites determined to destroy the
machines but had taken their livelihood
3,000 gathered to storm Burton's Mill
and smash the steam looms inside the
troops were sent in to stop them at
least 18 were injured and five were
killed
they were hard times to live through if
you were a
worker but now hundreds of years later
we see what the benefits were if you
were to draw a graph showing the average
person's standard of living throughout
history you'd see a hockey stick for so
very long it's straight and low but then
the Industrial Revolution happened and
it leaps up and just keeps
climbing the revolution continues
turning right from our own life life
times many of the jobs that were
available when I left school have gone
now I've worked in software engineering
and we thought that ours would be the
last job left because we thought that
somebody would always have to tell the
computer what to
do in these times of change you know
that that's no longer true transistors
are doing it for them
themselves now we have chat
GPT it can write code it can waffle on
about things it doesn't understand these
two things are basically what I do for a
living if that job's not safe what job
is are we going to reach a point where
there's no more
jobs
perhaps but think about it would that
actually be a bad
thing we humans have this unique ability
we can imagine a world that doesn't
exist
yet and then we can take the steps
needed to bring it into
reality AI cannot do this all it can do
is make predictions about what will come
next based on past data but we humans we
humans can dream of so much
more can't we dream of a better world
without
jobs back in 1930 at the height of the
depression economist John mayard KES
dreamt of a better world without jobs he
said that by now of all machines doing
the work we'd be enjoying a 15h hour
work week that didn't happen but why
not in a survey
37% of respondents in the UK said that
their job made no meaningful
contribution to the world in the
Netherlands 40% that said that their job
had no reason to
exist so why does it
exist Marxist philosopher Fredrick
Jameson said observed that it's easier
to imagine the end of the world than the
end of capitalism and we're proving him
right tell people that the machines will
rise up and kill us all and then go oh
yeah
obviously tell them that in the future
the machines will do all the work and we
will be free for a life of leisure and
for some reason this is the future that
frightens
them St Albin I know it's hard but I
think we can do it let's imagine a
better
World Imagine a world full of
factories these factories are
self-replicating self-repairing solar
paneled they use
nanotechnology to take resources from
the ground and from the air and
manufacture the food for us to eat these
Factories do not pollute instead they
take carbon dioxide out of the air and
replace it with oxygen for us to breathe
this would be a better world but I'm not
talking about some unrealistic solar
Punk
Utopia I'm talking about the past
because these factories are
trees the nanotechnology is
photosynthesis we're always just so
impressed with the things that we build
that we forget just how incredible the
Machinery of nature
is for hundreds of thousands of years
mankind survived and thrived as hunter
gatherers we worked together in
communities and they didn't seow seed
they didn't raise livestock everything
they needed was provided by Nature
automatically at no point did they stop
and say wait a second how come we
haven't got
jobs for most of our past we didn't have
jobs and it could be that in the future
we won't have them again nobody actually
knows
yet but one thing is for certain this
world as it functions now doesn't have
much time left yet again everything is
going to change this world will end and
a new one will replace it will this new
world be so a world that is better or
worse that's up to
us can we build a better
world some of you may be cynical and
what you'll say is we can't make a
better world we tried and we failed
don't you know how Einstein defined
Insanity doing the same thing and
expecting different results
well that's a lie for a start Einstein
never said that more importantly it
isn't true doing the same thing over and
over again and expecting better results
is not Insanity it's
practice it's
exercise it's training this is how we
humans learn we don't follow
instructions like a computer program and
AI does the same that's why it doesn't
need programmers it's given data and it
is trained and it learns
so we can build a better world if we
make the right choices but what can we
do what can we do now to help bring
about this better World let me leave you
with three
suggestions the first one is we demand
it our leaders and the experts have a
mammoth task ahead of them let's make
sure that their goals and motivations
are aligned with our values and keep
them
accountable secondly in your personal
lives start connecting with the
automation that already surround you I'm
not talking about the crude machines and
simple computers that we have they are
going to be replaced by something much
better I'm talking about the incredible
sophisticated powerful automation we
find in nature in the environment in our
bodies and in our minds meditate to
clear your thoughts exercise to
strengthen your body practice arts and
crafts so that you can imagine something
that doesn't exist and then bring it
into
reality these are the skills that we
will need in the coming future start
developing them
today and finally when this new
technology arrives ask yourself this
question does this make me more or less
human if it makes you less human
reducing you to nothing more than a
consumer or a cog in the machine reject
it if it makes you more human freeing up
your
creativity complimenting and supporting
your Humanity embrace it because this is
the secret to surviving and
thriving once all the jobs have gone and
this world as we know it has been
replaced we must all become more
human thank
you
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