Carl T. BergstromJun 12, 2023

Not surprising that today's New York Times article about the singularity launders bullshit for big tech with just enough skepticism for plausible deniability.

More impressive: the article quotes 15 different people.

Sundar Pichai
Reid Hoffman
Bill Gates
Elon Musk
Sam Altman
Baldur Bjarnason
John von Neumann
Irving John Good
Hans Moravec
Ray Kurzweil
Rodney Brooks
Jerry Kaplan
Ryan Schaeffer
Eric Schmidt
Charlies Stross

Yes, every single one of them is a man.

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/11/technology/silicon-valley-confronts-the-idea-that-the-singularity-is-here.html

Silicon Valley Confronts the Singularity

The frenzy over artificial intelligence may be ushering in the long-awaited moment when technology goes wild. Or maybe it’s the hype that is out of control.

The New York Times
Show threadpr3d4t0r CiuranaJun 13, 2023
@ct_bergstrom - Great read. What does each of them being a man have to do with anything?
Show threadTane Piper ⁂
@ciurana @ct_bergstrom That you had to ask the question itself is the problem.
Jun 13, 2023 at 4:23amWeb
Show threadLotusJun 13, 2023

@tanepiper They might not be familiar with the field and how many important ai ethicists are women (I think thats the point Carl was making.)

I mean this respectfully: your and a few other commentors are not helpful, this shouldve been used as an opportunity to educate.

Show threadSimon FrankauJun 13, 2023

@LotusHopper @tanepiper I think sometimes it's hard to distinguish genuine questions from someone "just asking questions".

When they reply, about an article that "launders bullshit for big tech with just enough skepticism for plausible deniability", with "Great read", I get suspicious they're being more contrarian than unfamiliar.

I still try to engage with such posts (when I do) by answering the question straight, but... I find it hard to blame those that don't.

Show threadLotusJun 13, 2023
@sgf Thanks for pointing that out, didnt look at it that way.