“Are AI safetyists crying wolf?” by sarahhw

This is a link post. Sarah Guo, founder of venture capital firm Conviction, is not worried about the existential risk posed by AI. Why not? As she points out in a roundtable of technologists and AI experts at last month's Dealbook Summit, these apocalyptic fears have existed before. “This is quite typical when you look at technology historically”, she explains. “Everything from trains to electricity was considered the end of the world at some point”. The idea that the current concern around AI is nothing more than another instantiation of the irrational panic that accompanies the eve of every technological revolution is widespread. Anyone reading this is likely familiar with the case for existential risk from AI, which rests on conceptual arguments that are being increasingly validated by empirical evidence, and is a source of concern among some of the world's most highly-cited experts[1]. As I write this, I haven’t [...] ---Outline:(02:36) Part I: Everything from trains to electricity(16:48) Part II: False (AI)larmsThe original text contained 13 footnotes which were omitted from this narration. The original text contained 4 images which were described by AI. --- First published: January 8th, 2025 Source: https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/eas9hGhARncJ4a4iu/are-ai-safetyists-crying-wolf --- Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO. ---Images from the article:Apple Podcasts and Spotify do not show images in the episode description. Try Pocket Casts, or another podcast app.