If you’ve ever chosen an ambitious, unconventional, or deeply meaningful aim only to see your plan devolve into something far more run-of-the-mill, this one is for you.

Footnotes:

• Read the essay version of this episode.
• "AI Can't Even Turn On the Lights" on The Vergecast
• About OpenAI
• "Applying Systems Archetypes" via The Systems Thinker
• Sam Altman saying we've "surpassed" the definition of AGI from 5 years ago
• More from Tara on AI:
  • "What is a search engine? Or, Anne Leckie versus the 'Well, Actually' Bros"
  • "Always Be Optimizing"
  • "Black Box Thinking"