This was one of the best episodes of the year. I especially liked Kmele sharing his point of view on the future of AI. (Because I 100% agree with him.) Also, the "Good Will Hunting" discussion at the end was hilarious. I happened to rewatch that movie a few months ago. I was like, "Was I retarded back in 1997? Why did I like this fucking stupid movie?"
For a good ten to fifteen years afterwards the standard opinion, at least among people I knew, was that Good Will Hunting deserved to win Best Picture instead of Titanic that year. Now its kind of weird to think that Good Will Hunting deserved any awards, especially since Titanic has endured in popularity, notoriety, or is at least remembered while everyone basically forgot about Good Will Hunting. I think Louis CK just ripped that band-aid off for everyone to admit it was kind of a bullshit movie.
Obviously Andy is the expert here and I don’t know anything, but in my experience AI certainly is polarized already and has been for a bit now. People on the left side of the aisle are all predictably very aggressively anti-AI at this point.
I tend to agree, although it maybe hasn’t become a full-blown, predictable culture war battle like some other topics. The current AI tech has an outsized influence on the arts and other typically left-leaning careers. Among many of the musicians I follow online, AI is basically the anti christ. As a musician and writer myself, I can’t help but hate it a bit (though it certainly can make a good assistant).
It would be very easy to predict where most of these anti-AI voices I’m seeing stand on other culture war issues.
It’s been my experience that the leftists in my life (besides those in tech) do indeed take the Luddite perspective on AI, and the Boomercons in my life view AI as some sort of demonic force or Tower of Babel endeavor.
The divide I’ve seen has been more along the lines of people who are apolitical liking AI and finding it useful, and those who get fired up about issues tend to find a reason to hate it (again, with the exception of otherwise ardent leftists I know who work in tech and use AI daily).
My experience has been that most people didn't have much of an opinion until Elon got on-board with Trump, and then all of a sudden, people had opinions.
I’m sorry, but am I the only one who has some serious reservations about this guy’s gullibility? His previous biggest podcast had to be retracted because he got so taken by obvious bullshit. I think the AI revolution is interesting and clearly some big developments are coming, but he talked to a bunch of insanely rich, power-hungry, narcissistic megalomaniacs, and they all told them that they’re doing the most important/dangerous thing in the world, and possibly saving it, and he believed them! And he let his technological ignorance give them this absurd authority, just based on the intensity of their belief. There’s a very reasonable skeptical camp that states that while perhaps (perhaps!) something like AGI is possible soon, there’s an enormous gap between it and super intelligence and that we shouldn’t assume that one just easily leads to the other. Keep in mind, some of these tech maniacs have espoused a genuine belief in trying to live forever. Has it ever occurred to him that these are just grandiose people who are so spiritually impoverished that they are essentially creating a religious eschatology with themselves at the center?
Remember also that these people make bonkers money by saying that they are working on the most important/most profitable product ever known to humanity. If anyone were to be convinced otherwise, their gravy train would stop.
A podcast he did for NYT called Caliphate. He and another reporter got totally suckered by a fabulist who claimed he was an executioner for ISIS. I just find this guy so goddamn annoying: he's originally an NPR guy and still has that smarmy Serial/Radiolab tone to everything he does. (Even if he doesn't share the annoying SJW politics that now dominate NPR.) I know the Fifth guys consider him a friend, but I appreciated that they definitely didn't seem as taken in by AI hysteria as he was.
I think his claim to fame was co-producing The Daily. So he's at least partially responsible for that style of podcasting production along with Barbaro, etc. Some love it - some don't.
The thoughtfully considered, the somewhat overwrought. Lets sit....and think...about this point....
He also produced The Witch Trials of JK Rowling for the Free Press. I thought that was pretty interesting.
Alright you drunk fuck (we all know who I’m looking at), thank you for the introduction of this guy who I didn’t know by name, but I guess I have to spell this out for you. First, the description of the show doesn’t always have a proper intro, next, I (your loyal proletarian) don’t run in the same circles or pay even 10% attention to the shit you guys do. While I wish I was in a sex swing, er zip line, living off of UBI and had all the time to be caught up, I gotta work too much and then come home and deal with these little people that call me dad. I will probably never watch the video content cuz yall ugly and I gotta multitask, plus headphones in means dad ain’t listening to your shit.
Also, I dig the guests but I want you boys all alone more often, I miss hearing Kmele Google shit or watch basketball while pretending to be engaged.
But please, introduce your guests….you drunk fucks. Peace and love as always, peace be upon you, praise be to He
A propos of nothing except he tends to get short shrift around here, this is a recent conversation with Graham Linehan where he lays out what recent years have been like for the man who created Father Ted and The IT Crowd among others, just for standing up for women and girls...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BMdCpttzd0
concerning Kemele’s argument of bomb in data centers being the “least you could do” if you truly believe this will be the end of humanity…
…he sounds incensed by this, but this rhetoric exists all around us about everything.
People argue ICE ‘invades’ places and ‘kidnaps’ people, so shouldn’t we all be out there killing ICE into submission? Or at least those who would bandy about those words?
Or how about those who say anyone right of Mao is a Nazi! You know what we used to do to Nazis? Kill them into submission.
So it’s not like AI is some special exception where the heated rhetoric isn’t being matched in deeds that reflect the true beliefs of these people. It’s everywhere.
We’re a hyperventilating, overreacting, unserious, soulless society. And we only keep getting worse.
Yeah, I thought this was a stupid argument. When I was a teenage radical leftist I had a similar conversation with my hardcore Catholic conservative parents; 'if you really believe abortion is murder shouldn't you be out there killing abortion doctors?' The truth is only nutjobs think bombing or murder is anything but a last resort. Even if you believe AI is the end of humanity if you immediately decided to resort to terrorism you'd be a crazy person. You start with persuasion and raising the alarm.
thank you Matt for bringing that up about properly introducing guests! I listen to your show to be informed and entertained by this crazy stuff, I don't have time to be deep into this world and know who many of these guests are otherwise
Comments are now open. TYFYATTM.
Thank You, Fuck You, Ass To The Mouth.
- RFK, Jr., probably
I hate that I know what that means.
This was one of the best episodes of the year. I especially liked Kmele sharing his point of view on the future of AI. (Because I 100% agree with him.) Also, the "Good Will Hunting" discussion at the end was hilarious. I happened to rewatch that movie a few months ago. I was like, "Was I retarded back in 1997? Why did I like this fucking stupid movie?"
For a good ten to fifteen years afterwards the standard opinion, at least among people I knew, was that Good Will Hunting deserved to win Best Picture instead of Titanic that year. Now its kind of weird to think that Good Will Hunting deserved any awards, especially since Titanic has endured in popularity, notoriety, or is at least remembered while everyone basically forgot about Good Will Hunting. I think Louis CK just ripped that band-aid off for everyone to admit it was kind of a bullshit movie.
I just so happened to watch it last night before listening to the podcast. Not on purpose. There were definitely cringy parts that hit different now.
But the how do you like them apples part has always been cringe as an adult.
First time seeing Andy Mills on video. Looks totally different than what I expected. Nerdy voice doesn’t match the Ryan Gosling vibe.
Same. He looks like a cool rock climbing bro from Boulder.
The fact that he's not from Boulder or Colorado re-enforce your assessment!
I would love some eps with just the boys.
Obviously Andy is the expert here and I don’t know anything, but in my experience AI certainly is polarized already and has been for a bit now. People on the left side of the aisle are all predictably very aggressively anti-AI at this point.
I tend to agree, although it maybe hasn’t become a full-blown, predictable culture war battle like some other topics. The current AI tech has an outsized influence on the arts and other typically left-leaning careers. Among many of the musicians I follow online, AI is basically the anti christ. As a musician and writer myself, I can’t help but hate it a bit (though it certainly can make a good assistant).
It would be very easy to predict where most of these anti-AI voices I’m seeing stand on other culture war issues.
It’s been my experience that the leftists in my life (besides those in tech) do indeed take the Luddite perspective on AI, and the Boomercons in my life view AI as some sort of demonic force or Tower of Babel endeavor.
The divide I’ve seen has been more along the lines of people who are apolitical liking AI and finding it useful, and those who get fired up about issues tend to find a reason to hate it (again, with the exception of otherwise ardent leftists I know who work in tech and use AI daily).
My experience has been that most people didn't have much of an opinion until Elon got on-board with Trump, and then all of a sudden, people had opinions.
Yeah, this was the one thing I found myself puzzled by. Search “AI” on Bluesky and then on Twitter, and compare results. It’s already polarized.
I listened to this audio-only at first, but I HAD to come back and watch Kmele die trying to finish his drink in one go 🤣
I’m sorry, but am I the only one who has some serious reservations about this guy’s gullibility? His previous biggest podcast had to be retracted because he got so taken by obvious bullshit. I think the AI revolution is interesting and clearly some big developments are coming, but he talked to a bunch of insanely rich, power-hungry, narcissistic megalomaniacs, and they all told them that they’re doing the most important/dangerous thing in the world, and possibly saving it, and he believed them! And he let his technological ignorance give them this absurd authority, just based on the intensity of their belief. There’s a very reasonable skeptical camp that states that while perhaps (perhaps!) something like AGI is possible soon, there’s an enormous gap between it and super intelligence and that we shouldn’t assume that one just easily leads to the other. Keep in mind, some of these tech maniacs have espoused a genuine belief in trying to live forever. Has it ever occurred to him that these are just grandiose people who are so spiritually impoverished that they are essentially creating a religious eschatology with themselves at the center?
Remember also that these people make bonkers money by saying that they are working on the most important/most profitable product ever known to humanity. If anyone were to be convinced otherwise, their gravy train would stop.
Wait, what was retracted?
A podcast he did for NYT called Caliphate. He and another reporter got totally suckered by a fabulist who claimed he was an executioner for ISIS. I just find this guy so goddamn annoying: he's originally an NPR guy and still has that smarmy Serial/Radiolab tone to everything he does. (Even if he doesn't share the annoying SJW politics that now dominate NPR.) I know the Fifth guys consider him a friend, but I appreciated that they definitely didn't seem as taken in by AI hysteria as he was.
I think his claim to fame was co-producing The Daily. So he's at least partially responsible for that style of podcasting production along with Barbaro, etc. Some love it - some don't.
The thoughtfully considered, the somewhat overwrought. Lets sit....and think...about this point....
He also produced The Witch Trials of JK Rowling for the Free Press. I thought that was pretty interesting.
Interesting... I will look into that. Thanks for sharing.
Also, I didn't know he was an NPR guy but find him far more interesting and listenable than the current NPR.
I live and breathe AI everyday at work…. I may lose my shit on this one
Crazy how both this and Barpod mention the movie "Her" in both fairly recent episodes.
Alright you drunk fuck (we all know who I’m looking at), thank you for the introduction of this guy who I didn’t know by name, but I guess I have to spell this out for you. First, the description of the show doesn’t always have a proper intro, next, I (your loyal proletarian) don’t run in the same circles or pay even 10% attention to the shit you guys do. While I wish I was in a sex swing, er zip line, living off of UBI and had all the time to be caught up, I gotta work too much and then come home and deal with these little people that call me dad. I will probably never watch the video content cuz yall ugly and I gotta multitask, plus headphones in means dad ain’t listening to your shit.
Also, I dig the guests but I want you boys all alone more often, I miss hearing Kmele Google shit or watch basketball while pretending to be engaged.
But please, introduce your guests….you drunk fucks. Peace and love as always, peace be upon you, praise be to He
They forget about Auto-play as well.
Thought you were gonna say Sam Altman Peter Thiel Alan Turing , fuck marry kill lol
A propos of nothing except he tends to get short shrift around here, this is a recent conversation with Graham Linehan where he lays out what recent years have been like for the man who created Father Ted and The IT Crowd among others, just for standing up for women and girls...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9BMdCpttzd0
if anyone builds it we all die is how feel about pickleball courts
Love all these guys but I find some of the AI takes and assertions challenging.
While it’s true we don’t know how to fix all hallucinations, we do know why they happen.
We do know how these AI programs work, even though it’s hard to trace for individual responses and decisions.
We know how alphago finds moves humans can’t (there is a search component)
Wet know how LLMs learned to program (source code in common web crawl)
We know how they got better at it (we included more source code in the training data)
We actually know all these things!
concerning Kemele’s argument of bomb in data centers being the “least you could do” if you truly believe this will be the end of humanity…
…he sounds incensed by this, but this rhetoric exists all around us about everything.
People argue ICE ‘invades’ places and ‘kidnaps’ people, so shouldn’t we all be out there killing ICE into submission? Or at least those who would bandy about those words?
Or how about those who say anyone right of Mao is a Nazi! You know what we used to do to Nazis? Kill them into submission.
So it’s not like AI is some special exception where the heated rhetoric isn’t being matched in deeds that reflect the true beliefs of these people. It’s everywhere.
We’re a hyperventilating, overreacting, unserious, soulless society. And we only keep getting worse.
Yeah, I thought this was a stupid argument. When I was a teenage radical leftist I had a similar conversation with my hardcore Catholic conservative parents; 'if you really believe abortion is murder shouldn't you be out there killing abortion doctors?' The truth is only nutjobs think bombing or murder is anything but a last resort. Even if you believe AI is the end of humanity if you immediately decided to resort to terrorism you'd be a crazy person. You start with persuasion and raising the alarm.
thank you Matt for bringing that up about properly introducing guests! I listen to your show to be informed and entertained by this crazy stuff, I don't have time to be deep into this world and know who many of these guests are otherwise