IEET

Most Americans don’t fear an AI apocalypse, according to new research An online study examining attitudes towards AI indicated that most people tend to hold optimistic views toward AI and tend to disagree with extreme negative attitudes. Moreover, people with higher social health, higher agreeableness, lower neuroticism and loneliness, as well as those more familiar with technology, tended to have more favorable views about the large-scale impact of AI. The paper was published in the Journal of Technology in Behavioral Science. Source in comments.

The arrival of AI-generated research papers marks a turning point that could radically accelerate discovery—or drown it in automated mediocrity spklr.io/6017EyVw3

What is Universal Basic Income, and why is it gaining attention? A Harvard explainer breaks it down as a regular, unconditional cash payment to all, designed to provide a basic level of economic security and simplify social protection systems. zurl.co/v3svI

Most Americans hold optimistic views toward AI. People with higher social health, higher agreeableness, lower neuroticism and loneliness, or more familiarity with technology, tended to have more favorable views about the impact of AI. psypost.org/most-americans…

GLP-1 drugs are the ultimate validation of the techno-solutionist approach to society's most challenging problems. The obesity crisis seemed liked it would just get worse and worse forever. Scolding from public health officials didn't work. Proposals to completely overhaul our food systems were dead on arrival. Instead, we invented a weekly shot (based on Gila monster venom!) that fixes obesity directly. And now, thanks to the economic incentives in our biomedical industry, we have follow-on drugs that will be cheaper, even more effective, and easier to administer (by taking a pill instead of a shot). Policymakers should be focused on figuring out how we can get more breakthrough drugs like GLP-1s (and faster). They also should think hard about which slopulist ideas might inadvertently kill the goose that lays the golden eggs.

11 yrs ago, Martin Ford warned us: This automation is different. Past waves replaced muscle. This one replaces mind, and mind has no refuge. He was early. We weren't ready. The conversation he tried to start in 2015 is well overdue. #TechUnemployment 🎙️ snglrty.co/3ZVGOY7

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) introduced a bill to block the construction of new data centers until lawmakers enact regulations on AI. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) is planning to introduce a similar House bill in the coming weeks. wapo.st/4tbhxGE

Update: I'm told that this bill contains export controls on chips, to prevent them from going to any other country that fails to sign onto safety standards. That's huge and I shift my stance from neutral to positive on the effects of the bill if passed.

Cody gets a shout out in SciAm

(AI) can give every human being on the planet access to a sort of political superintelligence, if we shape it right...can make governments smarter and more effective, representatives more faithful, and institutions more responsive. freesystems.substack.com/p/building-pol…

Are humanoid robots inevitable—or should we resist their design altogether? 🎧 Listen now → prostheticgods.podbean.com/e/humanoid-rob… #ProstheticGods #HumanoidRobots #AIethics #Robotics #TechAndSociety

From Moravec’s paradox to Battlestar Galactica, the question isn’t just what robots can do—but how they change us.

🎙️ New episode of Prosthetic Gods Ep. 38 – Humanoid Robots What happens when AI doesn’t just speak—but walks into your home? Nir & @citizencyborg explore the ethical risks of humanoid robots.

Sanders: I'll tell you it was a little bit mind-blowing. It is amazingly easy to start seeing this entity, this AI agent, or call it what you might, as a human being. And please remember importantly, AI is only going to get more and more effective in years to come . It's only a relatively few years old.

Somebody emailed me to request a reading list on the intersection between AI, technology, and moral progress. Here's the reading list I made, in case anyone else is interested:

@BernieSanders Yes. AI must work for ALL OF US and the only way to accomplish that is fully universal provision. We need universal basic income and healthcare to fully decouple our survival from jobs, and distribute productivity growth with all. scottsantens.substack.com/p/universal-ba…

“We cannot sit back and allow a handful of billionaire Big Tech oligarchs to make decisions that will reshape our economy, our democracy and the future of humanity." Story: rollingstone.com/politics/polit…

The book is now available! If Amazon runs out of copies, order it directly from Hackett Publishing! Or hell, order it from Hackett Publishing even if Amazon doesn't run out! hackettpublishing.com/the-ethics-of-… #AI #ethics