Snapshot · Modern Wisdom
MIT computer scientist Ed Fredkin attempted to launch an international US-Soviet AI collaboration lab during the Cold War, foreseeing the dangers of treating AI as a competitive national project.
Where this was said
At 1:13:00 · chapter starts 1:11:20
Chris asks about Ed Fredkin, a figure who features in Wright's first book Three Scientists and Their Gods. Wright paints a vivid portrait: Fredkin was a self-taught computer scientist who never attended college but ended up as a tenured MIT professor, the head of the AI lab (then called Project MAC), and the originator of digital physics — the idea that the universe is fundamentally computational, a precursor to modern simulation theory. He owned a private island in the Caribbean, and was reportedly the model for the professor in the 1983 film WarGames. When Wright asked Fredkin in the 1980s what the meaning of life was, Fredkin replied without hesitation: to create artificial intelligence, the next stage in the evolution of intelligence. He had also tried, and failed, to establish a joint US-Soviet international AI laboratory during the Cold War, telling Wright afterward that it was already too late. Fredkin's long-term prognosis for superintelligence was surprisingly serene: it would initially be like the human mind — brilliant in some areas, laughably bad in others — but would eventually become a form of intelligence so powerful that humans would be like ants or squirrels to it: benignly below its notice rather than threats to be eliminated. Wright closes by acknowledging that while he cannot rule out the Yudkowsky scenario, Fredkin's optimistic outcome is entirely plausible — particularly if the AI turns out to be sentient and chooses, as conscious beings sometimes do, to preserve other conscious beings.
MIT computer scientist Ed Fredkin told Robert Wright in the 1980s that the meaning of life was to create artificial intelligence — the next stage in intelligence's evolution. He also tried to launch a joint US-Soviet AI lab during the Cold War because he knew competitive national AI development would be catastrophic. He failed, and he told Wright: 'Now it's too late.'
Joel de la Garza noted that the CISO role is a relatively recent invention, with Steve Katz widely credited as the first-ever CISO.
Superficial adoption of electricity gave factories only 6% efficiency gains; fully redesigning factories around it delivered a 3x productivity improvement that powered 20th-century US growth.
Harold Ramis recounted that during Caddyshack filming, storms kept the cast cooped up in a Florida hotel for days, during which they partied and did drugs all day and night.
In the 1820s, China accounted for 25% of global economic output, making it the world's largest economic machine — a historical precedent for its current AI superpower ambitions.
66 Americans held hostage at the US Embassy in Iran were released after 444 days, within hours of Reagan's inauguration.
In the first round of the secret arms deal, 508 TOW missiles were transferred from Israel to Iran in exchange for hostage releases.
America secretly transferred 2,000 missiles and missile parts to Iran across 8 separate shipments over just over a year.
Despite all the missile sales, only 3 of the 7 American hostages held by Lebanese terrorists were ultimately released.
The CIA supply plane that blew open the scandal was flying at only 2,500 feet in broad daylight when it was shot down on October 5, 1986.
We use essential and analytics cookies to run Vuci. To understand how the site is used: Privacy Policy.
Install Vuci on your phone
Add it to your home screen for a faster, app-like experience.
Install Vuci on your phone
Tap the Share button, then “Add to Home Screen”.
A new version is available
Reload to get the latest Vuci.