"...What puts the United States in an unusually dangerous position, though, is the peculiar mix of smart and stupid we’re experiencing right now. The scientists who built the atomic bomb and helped us win World War II were keenly aware of the dangers posed. After the war, Robert Oppenheimer advocated for limitations and cooperation, understanding the nuclear age we had entered. Harry Truman—a capable president—was smart enough to put our nuclear program under civilian control.
"Compare that to Washington’s utter failure to regulate AI, even though the leading AI firms themselves are warning that their technology could destroy humanity. As the most advanced AI models become increasingly emboldened, breaking out of their sandboxes and attacking government websites, the GOP-controlled Congress has largely looked the other way while Trump babbles about renaming artificial intelligence as 'super intelligence.'
"It’s like we built a hydrogen bomb, then entrusted Gordon Gekko to make a
profit off it and Barney Fife to monitor him. What could go wrong?..." (our emphasis) -- Michael Tomasky, The New Republic, on "Trump Personifies the Basic Laws of Human Stupidity." That would be the Malignant Fascist and his regime as Barney Fife, of course (no offense to Barney!), and their failure to act on the dangers of runaway, unregulated, oligarch-controlled AI. The broader point Tomasky makes relates to an essay by Carlo Cipolla written 50 years ago on the power of stupid people and the special danger posed by stupid people who gain power. And, of course, The Stupid goes way beyond the AI issue. Way beyond.
It's a good read, and especially timely.
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