When it comes to predicting what automation will do to the human workforce, there are two popular lines of wisdom. People have said for decades that this or that would remove the need for human work. Marx said it would happen after the industrial revolution. They said computers would do it. Yet here we are, with billions still…
The “Resource Exhaustion” AI Problem
Listening to the PEL episode on AI with Nick Bostrom I was introduced to a fascinating threat concept related to Artificial Intelligence. The idea is that there are serious dangers associated with with giving a new AI goals. The example given was telling a new toddler AI that its purpose in life is to make paper clips. Seems…
Outsourcing And The Future Of I.T.
“In any case, I don’t think outsourcing per se is much of a threat. I bet much of the time it’s just a symptom of using a language that’s not abstract enough. In effect you’re using the programmers in India or wherever as human compilers.” — Paul Graham If I’m reading this right, he’s saying exactly what my…