WARNING By Sam Harris: ChatGPT Could Be The Start Of The End. AI "Could Destroy Us, The Internet And Democracy"

No, Sam Harris is not optimistic, citing both the near-term problem of human misuse of increasingly powerful AI (amplifying misinformation) and the longer-term concern about the alignment of artificial general intelligence with human interests.

The two assumptions are that intelligence is substrate-independent (it doesn't have to be biological) and that humanity will continue to make progress in building intelligent machines unless a catastrophe stops us.

A mismatch in intelligence creates a fundamental blindness in the dumber party regarding what the smarter party is doing, why, and what it will do next. Humans, as the smarter species, could make decisions (like eliminating dogs for a pandemic) that dogs would never comprehend, illustrating the potential danger for humanity with a superhuman AI.

Sam Harris believes it's a gamble to assume so, as there are likely many possible forms of superhuman intelligence that are not aligned with human well-being. He sees no reason to believe that advanced intelligence automatically leads to 'sainthood' or wisdom.

The most pressing problem is the misuse of narrow AI, which will amplify misinformation and disinformation to the point where most online content could be fake. This could make it impossible to hold valid elections or cooperate as a society, potentially making life unlivable before AGI becomes a dominant issue.

A potential solution is a new kind of gatekeeping focused on the provenance of information, where media organizations and technology provide assurance that content (like videos or photos) has not been manipulated, possibly through digital watermarks or blockchain verification.

He would encourage a return to the humanities, focusing on activities like creating art, writing novels, philosophy, and discussing what it means to live a good life, as these are among the last things that can be plausibly automated and where human consciousness remains central.

A highly impactful change is to decide to be completely honest and not lie about anything, as dishonesty corrodes relationships, ruins reputations, and prevents self-confrontation with uncomfortable truths, ultimately creating a life one doesn't want to live.

The 'Waking Up' app serves as an audio-based delivery system for meditation and related educational content, guiding users in specific uses of attention and a reordering of priorities to gain insights about their experience, thereby subverting the fragmenting nature of smartphones.