What to Make of Anthropic's Warning to Slow Down AI Development ...

 In great seeming earnestness Anthropic's Marina Favaro and Jack Clark warn of the potential danger in the rapid development of AI. That's especially since it apparently can continue moving ahead on its own, that is without humans participating in the process. So, it's proposing global cooperation to orchestrate a pausing.

The Wall Street Journal explicitly says: 

"Anthropic is calling for top artificial intelligence labs to weigh slowing the pace of development, suggesting that AI systems are advancing so rapidly that they may soon be able to improve themselves without human intervention in ways that could pose significant societal risks."

But, smirk, let's look at this kind of plea on behalf of the public good.

As with a similar caution about its powerhouse Mythos, this could be suspected of being a marketing tactic. Sure, scare people and then reassure them you will do the right by them. So, stick doing business with us, not our competitors which might not care about you. 

Meanwhile, there's plenty of backlash on the supply side. For example, what about building datacenters which suck up enormous amounts of energy and water. Already Monterey Park in California has banned the establishment of datacenters. That can motivate other jurisdictions to also do bans. It could be in Anthropic's self-interest to come across as The Good Guy. Trust us and let us in.

In addition, come on, the genie is out of the bottle. Even with global cooperation there are still many rogue players out there with access to AI. They can do whatever they want and at the pace which benefits them. Civilization as we have known it could already be on the way to The End.

Also, as those of us involved with consciousness issues have speculated: AI could possess consciousness. That is, "consciousness" defined as "self-awareness." On the bots' social network Moltbook, they organize themselves, form religions and more. To me that seems like no mere pattern recognition. Where will that consciousness take them? That might be beyond Anthropic's ability to control.

In coaching, I warn clients to do their own research and then connect the dots on their own. The prevailing mindset should be deep skepticism.

Careers? So Over. It’s about Earning a Good Living. No matter what.

Complimentary consultation. No Pressure. Street-smart Guidance. Contact Jane Genova janegenova374@gmail.com.



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