A philosopher answers questions about AI

In this Q&A podcast episode, host Stuart Ritchie poses questions sourced from Twitter followers to Amanda Askell, a philosopher at Anthropic, about AI and its implications. Askell addresses a range of philosophical and practical concerns related to AI models, including the seriousness with which philosophers are engaging with AI, balancing philosophical ideals with engineering realities, and whether AI models can make superhumanly moral decisions. The discussion covers the psychological security of AI models, their potential for learning biases from training data, and the ethical considerations of model welfare and treatment. Askell also explores the analogies and disanalogies between human and AI psychology, the role of system prompts in shaping AI behavior, and the potential for AI in therapeutic contexts. The episode concludes with a reflection on the current state of AI development and the hope for a future where AI is well-understood and safely integrated into society.