The peak of the first AI interview with Blaise Agüera y Arcas was his claim that this technology, which is socially controversial and inflating yet another stock market tech bubble, should not be separated from who we are. (Indeed, Agüera y Arcas's new book is called Who Are We Now?.) AI, in his view, is exactly us—nothing more or less.
The second and final video also has a challenging peak. Agüera y Arcas argues that AI is not simply a tool. It’s much, much more. This assertion is a little harder for me to digest because my position on tools is that, though they are what they are (useful and human-made), they are, nevertheless, not just a thing. A tool changes the human in the way a dam changes the beaver. (This position is generally called niche construction.) AI, as a tool, doesn’t just do useful things but transforms its user. It is and will definitely change who we are. That’s my view. Watch part two of the interview to appreciate Agüera y Arcas’s.
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You can also watch the full unedited conversation on YouTube here.
