Work

AIs and robots are quickly becoming powerful Humanity is currently creating “artificial intelligences.” The power and intelligence of these new non-biological agents is improving exponentially, and exponential growth implies rapid, unpredictable change. A huge factor underlying the uncertainty around how rapidly AIs will advance is how quickly AIs will become proficient at making themselves more intelligent. AIs are beginning to “pick themselves up by their bootstraps” and rewrite their own code to learn faster and think more effectively: ...

I’ve long debated with myself – and occasionally others – the morality of certain jobs in modern America. Many companies make money – at least in part – by: exploiting people (e.g., unionization suppression tactics to keep wages low; shitcoins) manipulating people (e.g., hacking people’s emotions so they lust for products they don’t need) preying on people’s desperation (e.g., payday loans) preying on people’s ignorance/trust (e.g., Bernie Madoff) bait-and-switching (e.g., jacking up prices once someone has subscribed) selling products and services that harm buyers (e.g., ultra-processed foods) Is selling a harmful product to someone who wants it morally justifiable? This last category is morally quite interesting. ...

For many years, I’ve been a programming machine, obsessively churning out code that powers my employers. I love coding and pour my heart into it, but I’m pretty wiped by the end of the day/week. I’ve seldom taken as much vacation as I’m entitled to. And even when I’ve changed jobs, I’ve seldom given myself any break… generally finishing on a Friday and starting my new job the following Monday. ...