James D. Miller

James D. Miller is a professor of economics at Smith College, the author of Singularity Rising, and host of the Future Strategist Podcast.

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9 Posts

It’s Time to Start Treating High School Math Like Football

As a skinny, unathletic nerd, I had no desire to play high-school football. Fortunately, no one compelled me to do so. Even if I could have become an adequate player by expending massive effort, much of the time I spent playing would have come at the expense of learning things

James D. Miller

13 Feb 2022 · 6 min read

Machine Learning, Deep Fakes, and the Threat of an Artificially Intelligent Hate-Bot

Fake news isn’t new. More than a century ago, newspapers owned by William Randolph Hearst and Joseph Pulitzer helped stir up enthusiasm for war against Spain by hyping the dubious claim that Spanish agents had used explosives to sink the USS Maine in Havana Harbor. The cry of “Remember

James D. Miller

4 Nov 2021 · 6 min read

The Apocalyptic Threat from Artificial Intelligence Isn’t Science Fiction

The time to begin planning our response, and designing systems to give humanity a fighting chance, is now.

James D. Miller

3 Dec 2020 · 11 min read

Microbes on Venus May Herald Human Extinction (Though Not in the Way You Think)

Many of these cultures surely had their share of Elon Musks—beings who wished to colonize other worlds.

James D. Miller

23 Sep 2020 · 8 min read

Against Big Tech Viewpoint Discrimination

Some might claim that electric power is far more of a necessity that social media access.

James D. Miller

6 Jun 2019 · 4 min read

Like the Campus Thought Police

The hate against Hect sends a chilling message throughout my campus. Imagine you are a Smith student who supports Trump, his wall, or gun rights. How comfortable would you now be speaking up in class?

James D. Miller

28 Apr 2019 · 4 min read

Google’s China Ambitions Threaten U.S. National Security

What can we do about China’s potential future ability to harm American politicians through influencing Internet companies that operate in both China and the United States?

James D. Miller

8 Oct 2018 · 6 min read

Exterminate Mosquitoes for the Sake of Humanity

If we are worried about the loss of diversity, we could eliminate the human-biting mosquitoes and spend a few million dollars helping, say, endangered beetles.

James D. Miller

7 Sep 2018 · 6 min read

Banning Bitcoin to Complete Big Tech Censorship

Bitcoin’s decentralized network means that regardless of how much corporate America hates some commentator, it can’t stop you from sending her cryptocurrency.

James D. Miller

21 Aug 2018 · 5 min read