Notes from a talk originally given at my alma mater

I went to Grinnell College for my undergraduate degree. For the 2025 reunion event, I agreed to speak on a panel about AI. I like the talk I gave because I think it's a good "101" intro to AI risk, aimed at educated laypeople. I'm also glad to have a go-to explainer for why I'm currently worried about AGI.

I work at Google DeepMind on the science of aligning artificial intelligence with human interests. I completed a PhD in this field in 2022 and then I did my postdoc at UC Berkeley. I’ll discuss some of the ways in which AI might go wrong.

⚠️ I'm only speaking for myself, not for my employer.

For many years, I’ve had quite the romantic vision of the promise of AI. Solving artificial intelligence will [...]

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Outline:

(00:58) The romance and peril of AI

(02:35) Risks from AI

(03:47) Spelling out an argument for AI extinction risk

(04:35) Intuitive support for the argument

(07:11) So are we doomed?

(08:50) Conclusion

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First published:

Source:

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Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.