AI Hype Machine w/ Meredith Whittaker, Ed Ongweso, and Sarah West

In this episode of The Dig, Daniel Denvir interviews Meredith Whittaker, Ed Ongweso, and Sarah West about the promises and perils of AI technology. The discussion explores the motivations behind rebranding machine learning as AI, the claims made about AI's intelligence, and the apocalyptic hyperbole surrounding its future. The guests critique big tech's role in the military-industrial complex and the new Cold War with China, as well as the industry's co-option of AI ethics. They also discuss the impact of automation on workers, the labor force behind AI, and potential solutions, including government regulation, antitrust measures, and worker empowerment.

Outlines

Part 1: Definitions, History, and Hype

Part 2: Corporate Strategy and Narrative Control

Part 3: Geopolitics and Institutional Critique

Part 4: Labor, Automation, and Exploitation

Part 5: Policy and Future Action

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The Dig

Part 1: Definitions, History, and Hype

Introduction to AI: Promises, Perils, and Redefinitions

Deconstructing the Term "AI": History, Motivations, and Mystification

The Illusion of Intelligence: Capabilities, Limitations, and Control

The Artifice of AI: Surveillance, Militarization, and the Rejection of Consent

Part 2: Corporate Strategy and Narrative Control

The Industry as the Real Threat: Arsonists Selling Fire Insurance

Reframing the Problem: From Exploitation to Existential Risk

Hype Cycles and Financial Engines: AI as the New Metaverse

Secondary Use Cases and the Erosion of Scrutiny: The Dangers of Unfettered Experimentation

Part 3: Geopolitics and Institutional Critique

The New Cold War and the Militarization of AI: American Dominance and the Industrial Policy

Controlled Opposition and the Neutralization of Critique: The AI Ethics Industry

Liberatory Visions and the Limits of Imagination: The Taint of Capitalist Control

The Heights of Silicon Valley: Power, Corruption, and the Outer Reaches of Acceptable Ideas

Part 4: Labor, Automation, and Exploitation

The Automation Apocalypse That Never Comes: Hype, Distraction, and Labor Degradation

Algorithmic Wage Management and the Erosion of Worker Autonomy: The New Realities of Labor

The Invisible Workforce: Labor, Data, and the Sleight of Hand of Intelligence

Part 5: Policy and Future Action

What Is To Be Done? Demands, Solutions, and the Redistribution of Power

AI Hype Machine w/ Meredith Whittaker, Ed Ongweso, and Sarah West

The Dig

Part 1: Definitions, History, and Hype

00:00Introduction to AI: Promises, Perils, and Redefinitions

Introduction to AI: Promises, Perils, and Redefinitions

07:54Deconstructing the Term "AI": History, Motivations, and Mystification

Deconstructing the Term "AI": History, Motivations, and Mystification

14:14The Illusion of Intelligence: Capabilities, Limitations, and Control

The Illusion of Intelligence: Capabilities, Limitations, and Control

21:53The Artifice of AI: Surveillance, Militarization, and the Rejection of Consent

The Artifice of AI: Surveillance, Militarization, and the Rejection of Consent

Part 2: Corporate Strategy and Narrative Control

28:51The Industry as the Real Threat: Arsonists Selling Fire Insurance

The Industry as the Real Threat: Arsonists Selling Fire Insurance

36:34Reframing the Problem: From Exploitation to Existential Risk

Reframing the Problem: From Exploitation to Existential Risk

44:37Hype Cycles and Financial Engines: AI as the New Metaverse

Hype Cycles and Financial Engines: AI as the New Metaverse

55:56Secondary Use Cases and the Erosion of Scrutiny: The Dangers of Unfettered Experimentation

Secondary Use Cases and the Erosion of Scrutiny: The Dangers of Unfettered Experimentation

Part 3: Geopolitics and Institutional Critique

1:08:11The New Cold War and the Militarization of AI: American Dominance and the Industrial Policy

The New Cold War and the Militarization of AI: American Dominance and the Industrial Policy

1:17:00Controlled Opposition and the Neutralization of Critique: The AI Ethics Industry

Controlled Opposition and the Neutralization of Critique: The AI Ethics Industry

1:25:22Liberatory Visions and the Limits of Imagination: The Taint of Capitalist Control

Liberatory Visions and the Limits of Imagination: The Taint of Capitalist Control

1:37:30The Heights of Silicon Valley: Power, Corruption, and the Outer Reaches of Acceptable Ideas

The Heights of Silicon Valley: Power, Corruption, and the Outer Reaches of Acceptable Ideas

Part 4: Labor, Automation, and Exploitation

1:47:02The Automation Apocalypse That Never Comes: Hype, Distraction, and Labor Degradation

The Automation Apocalypse That Never Comes: Hype, Distraction, and Labor Degradation

1:52:58Algorithmic Wage Management and the Erosion of Worker Autonomy: The New Realities of Labor

Algorithmic Wage Management and the Erosion of Worker Autonomy: The New Realities of Labor

2:03:06The Invisible Workforce: Labor, Data, and the Sleight of Hand of Intelligence

The Invisible Workforce: Labor, Data, and the Sleight of Hand of Intelligence

Part 5: Policy and Future Action

2:12:25What Is To Be Done? Demands, Solutions, and the Redistribution of Power

What Is To Be Done? Demands, Solutions, and the Redistribution of Power