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10 sats \ 9 replies \ @Scoresby 21h \ on: Are The Men Who Know Most The Most Gloomy? AI
I don't think the men who were gloomy about nuclear weaponry stood to gain quite so much as the men who are gloomy about AI.
AI doomerism often strikes me as advertising, while nuclear doomerism seems more like genuine fear.
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In the case of people like Musk and Altman, I think they benefit from doomerism because it makes their product look powerful and impressive -- who wouldn't pay $20 / month for a thing that could end the world?
For the academics, they're advertising themselves: predicting doom is exciting and thrilling. Saying AI isn't that interesting or that it won't live up to the hype is not going to get you featured in newspapers. Saying we're playing with fire and we could all die tomorrow with some citations and a concerned frown can get you on a front page.
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Also we live in an attention age and doomerism is popular on pretty much all sides. If you wanna piss of people tell them to chill out. I've experienced a lot of this.
Our AI is so amazing we are afraid it will become self aware and so we want DC to regulate it. Its so transparent to me that this is a scam. AGI has been right around the corner for a few years now.
Its not all rainbows and ponies but we aren't gonna end the world with AI. Its hogwash.
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Is "doomer" a derogatory word?
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I am trying not to influence the response.
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lol, OK. Doomer to me is a descriptor. Not sure I'd consider it very derogatory but I don't consider it a complement. I could also use "defeatist". Doomers often use it as an excuse to be passive. That's my experience but it can also just be a mindset that people can break out of.
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OK... I think using non-neutral adjectives has the downside of making the discussion less factual and more emotional.
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