A collection of 377 posts
The central risk of AI is not that machines will become malevolent. It is that human incentive structures, amplified by scalable technology, outrun our ability to govern them.
The contributions of Robert Trivers belong in the special category of ideas that are obvious once they are explained, yet eluded great minds for ages; simple enough to be stated in a few words, yet with implications that have busied scientists for decades.
‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ is a Rousseau-esque oikophobic fantasy of evil humans and noble savage aliens.
The sad and curious case of the chronic fatigue syndrome.
Matt Shumer’s viral essay about AI is part of a long history of fear produced by technological change.
The sustainable agriculture movement’s ideological opposition to biotechnology undermines genuine environmental progress and food security.
Candace Owens, Tucker Carlson, and the antisemitic Right.
When combined thoughtfully with traditional historical methods, analysis of ancient DNA can illuminate the lives, characters, and motivations of people long dead.
Culture is fragmented; it is about to become atomised.
Tech companies stand to benefit from widespread public misperceptions that AI is sentient despite a dearth of scientific evidence.
A look at the process, history, and ethics of a potentially revolutionary new technology.
A new article in MIT’s ‘Undark’ magazine recycles old misinformation about a supposedly toxic chemical.
The hepatitis B vaccine episode is a preview of what happens when scientific institutions are corrupted by people who reject the scientific method itself.
How AI training produces evasion over engagement.
Amid all the overexcitement about artificial intelligence, there is little room for public consideration of mind-blowing findings on natural intelligence.