Roundup #88: Is it time to panic yet?

This week's roundup revolves heavily around AI. Similar to how industrial technology dominated discussions from 1870 to 1970, it appears AI will become a central focus in shaping the future of humanity. We must learn to adapt to this new reality.

1. Concerns regarding AI risks have become prevalent in American society. Both AI companies and researchers fear the technology they develop may have catastrophic consequences, potentially ending the human race if not created more cautiously. There are five primary groups opposing this cautious approach:

a. The Trump administration is apprehensive that slowing down AI development might also impede economic growth.

b. Investors believe a slowdown could negatively impact their financial gains.

c. Libertarians and techno-optimists argue that regulating technological progress is counterproductive.

d. China critics worry a slowdown would enable China to dominate the AI race.

e. Progressives, who previously doubted AI's efficacy and deemed it an economic bubble, now find themselves in an alliance with libertarians, hawks, and Trump. This unusual partnership emerged because their insistence on AI's ineffectiveness essentially put them at odds with AI's proven power.

The progressive movement itself is experiencing a significant internal rift between those who believe AI poses a danger and those who view it as a fake phenomenon. Bernie Sanders supports the former, while his former communications director David Sirota backs the latter. Despite having the president's backing, the anti-slowdown coalition is facing backlash in the public eye. Nate Silver has gathered evidence supporting this assertion.