How AGI became the most consequential conspiracy theory of our time
How AGI became the most consequential conspiracy theory of our time
This article posits that Artificial General Intelligence (AGI) has become the most significant conspiracy theory of our era, deeply influencing the AI industry. It charts AGI's progression from a fringe idea to a dominant narrative, drawing parallels with conspiratorial thinking through its ambiguous definitions, imperviousness to contradictory evidence, and promises of either utopian salvation or apocalyptic doom. Author Melissa Heikkilä details how prominent figures, often supported by investors like Peter Thiel, have advanced the AGI narrative. She argues that this widespread belief is misdirecting substantial resources towards an ill-defined objective, thereby diverting attention and investment from tangible, solvable problems and ultimately benefiting powerful Silicon Valley interests.
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conspiracies, one of the many virus of the mind. though I'm not sure what value this analogy gives us.
I think there are many other reasons we should limit our investments into AI beyond the fact that the hype is being oversold.
with that said, the history of AGI going from fringe to to where it is today is quite a case study and is likely more a statement on where the power centers of our economy are today: billionaires and tech moguls and the desire to live forever.
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