The Economic Singularity, Bletchley Park, and the Future of AI

London Futurists

The UK government has announced plans for a global AI Safety Summit, to be held in Bletchley Park in Buckinghamshire, outside London, on 1st and 2nd of November. That raises the importance of thinking more seriously about potential scenarios for the future of AI. In this episode, co-hosts Calum and David review Calum's concept of the Economic Singularity - a topic that deserves to be addressed at the Bletchley Park Summit.
Selected follow-ups:
https://www.gov.uk/government/news/uk-government-sets-out-ai-safety-summit-ambitions
https://calumchace.com/the-economic-singularity/
https://transpolitica.org/projects/surveys/anticipating-ai-30/
Topics addressed in this episode include:
*) The five themes announced for the AI Safety Summit
*) Three different phases in the future of AI, and the need for greater clarity about which risks and opportunities apply in each phase
*) Two misconceptions about the future of joblessness
*) Learning from how technology pushed horses out of employment
*) What the word 'singularity' means in the term "Economic Singularity"
*) Sources of meaning, beyond jobs and careers
*) Contrasting UBI and UGI (Universal Basic Income and Universal Generous Income)
*) Two different approaches to making UGI affordable
*) Three forces that are driving prices downward
*) Envisioning a possible dual economy
*) Anticipating "the great churn" - the accelerated rate of change of jobs
*) The biggest risk arising from technological unemployment
*) Flaws in the concept of GDP (Gross Domestic Product)
*) A contest between different narratives
*) Signs of good reactions by politicians
*) Recalling Christmas 1914
*) Suspension of "normal politics"
*) Have invitations been lost in the post?
*) 16 questions about what AI might be like in 2030
Music: Spike Protein, by Koi Discovery, available under CC0 1.0 Public Domain Declaration

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