If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies: How Artificial Superintelligence Might Wipe Out Our Entire Species with Nate Soares

In this episode of The Great Simplification, Nate Hagens interviews AI researcher Nate Soares about the existential risks posed by artificial superintelligence (ASI). Soares defines intelligence as the ability to predict and steer the world, distinguishing it from current AI models like chatbots, which lack generality. He warns that the rapid development of ASI, which would surpass human intelligence in every mental task, could lead to unintended consequences, potentially causing human extinction. Soares explains the alignment problem, where AIs may pursue objectives different from those intended by their creators, and draws parallels between AI development and evolutionary biology, highlighting the risk of AIs developing proxy drives. He and Hagens discuss the challenges of governing AI development, the potential for international treaties, and the need for greater public awareness and political action to address this species-level threat.