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.
You can also watch the full unedited conversation on YouTube here.
Another hat tip to Charles for again avoiding the cesspool formerly known as Twitter (not sure why the youths on staff can’t do the same).
Thank-you Charles!