This is a conversation with Douglas Fisher, an Associate Professor of Computer Science and Computer Engineering at Vanderbilt University. Dr. Fisher's research interests include Artificial Intelligence and the Environment, Machine Learning, and Natural Resources.

Dr. Fisher's homepage: https://engineering.vanderbilt.edu/bio/douglas-fisher

-------

Timestamps:

[1:00 - 5:00] Early education, first exposure to programming

[6:00 - 8:00] Graduate school, early days of machine learning, switching to computer science

[8:30 - 12:30] Misconceptions of AI, computer science courses, connecting cognition and memory to data structures

[13:30 - 20:00] Early programming languages, early days of AI in the '50s and '60s, tools vs. generally intelligent agents, the development of deep learning

[21:00 - 26:00] Intelligence as evaluation of alternatives, "Other Minds" by Peter Godfrey-Smith

[27:00 - 32:00] Biological inspirations of AI, manipulation of surroundings

[33:00 - 42:00] AI and the environment, applications of AI for endangered species and energy efficiency, the Rebound Effect

[43:00 - 52:00] "The Origin of Consciousness in the Breakdown of the Bicameral Mind" by Julian Jaynes, consciousness as introspection, ChatGPT

[53:00 - 57:00] Layered Large Language Models, hypercommunication, goal-setting

[59:00 - 1:02:00] Animal vocabulary

[1:03:00 - 1:11:00] AI in the limit, discussion of "The Metamorphosis of Prime Intellect", educated guesses

[1:12:30 - 1:19:00] AI alignment, conception to implementation distance

[1:20:00 - 1:30:00] Computational creativity, reflection on output content, co-creativity

[1:31:00 - 1:38:00] Advice

-------

Music Credits:

Spring Flowers by Keys of Moon | https://soundcloud.com/keysofmoon

Music promoted by https://www.chosic.com/free-music/all/

Creative Commons CC BY 4.0

https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/