Can Myth Teach Us Anything About the Race to Build Artificial General Intelligence? With Josh Schrei

Can Myth Teach Us Anything About the Race to Build Artificial General Intelligence? With Josh Schrei

We usually talk about tech in terms of economics or policy, but the casual language tech leaders often use to describe AI — summoning an inanimate force with the powers of code — sounds more... magical. So, what can myth and magic teach us about the AI race? Josh Schrei, mythologist and host of The Emerald podcast, says that foundational cultural tales like "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" or Prometheus teach us the importance of initiation, responsibility, human knowledge, and care. He argues these stories and myths can guide ethical tech development by reminding us what it is to be human.

Correction: Josh says the first telling of "The Sorcerer’s Apprentice" myth dates back to ancient Egypt, but it actually dates back to ancient Greece.

RECOMMENDED MEDIA

The Emerald podcast

The Emerald explores the human experience through a vibrant lens of myth, story, and imagination

Embodied Ethics in The Age of AI

A five-part course with The Emerald podcast’s Josh Schrei and School of Wise Innovation’s Andrew Dunn

Nature Nurture: Children Can Become Stewards of Our Delicate Planet

A U.S. Department of the Interior study found that the average American kid can identify hundreds of corporate logos but not plants and animals

The New Fire

AI is revolutionizing the world - here's how democracies can come out on top. This upcoming book was authored by an architect of President Biden's AI executive order

RECOMMENDED YUA EPISODES

How Will AI Affect the 2024 Elections?

The AI Dilemma

The Three Rules of Humane Tech

AI Myths and Misconceptions

Your Undivided Attention is produced by the Center for Humane Technology. Follow us on Twitter: @HumaneTech_


Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Jaksot(157)

What Would It Take to Actually Trust Each Other? The Game Theory Dilemma

What Would It Take to Actually Trust Each Other? The Game Theory Dilemma

So much of our world today can be summed up in the cold logic of “if I don’t, they will.” This is the foundation of game theory, which holds that cooperation and virtue are irrational; that all that m...

8 Tammi 45min

America and China Are Racing to Different AI Futures

America and China Are Racing to Different AI Futures

Is the US really in an AI race with China—or are we racing toward completely different finish lines?In this episode, Tristan Harris sits down with China experts Selina Xu and Matt Sheehan to separate ...

18 Joulu 202557min

AI and the Future of Work: What You Need to Know

AI and the Future of Work: What You Need to Know

No matter where you sit within the economy, whether you're a CEO or an entry level worker, everyone's feeling uneasy about AI and the future of work. Uncertainty about career paths, job security, and ...

4 Joulu 202545min

Feed Drop: "Into the Machine" with Tobias Rose-Stockwell

Feed Drop: "Into the Machine" with Tobias Rose-Stockwell

This week, we’re bringing you Tristan’s conversation with Tobias Rose-Stockwell on his podcast “Into the Machine.”  Tobias is a designer, writer, and technologist and the author of the book “The Outra...

13 Marras 20251h 4min

What if we had fixed social media?

What if we had fixed social media?

We really enjoyed hearing all of your questions for our annual Ask Us Anything episode. There was one question that kept coming up: what might a different world look like? The broken incentives behind...

6 Marras 202516min

Ask Us Anything 2025

Ask Us Anything 2025

It's been another big year in AI. The AI race has accelerated to breakneck speed, with frontier labs pouring hundreds of billions into increasingly powerful models—each one smarter, faster, and more u...

23 Loka 202540min

The Crisis That United Humanity—and Why It Matters for AI

The Crisis That United Humanity—and Why It Matters for AI

In 1985, scientists in Antarctica discovered a hole in the ozone layer that posed a catastrophic threat to life on earth if we didn’t do something about it. Then, something amazing happened: humanity ...

11 Syys 202551min

How OpenAI's ChatGPT Guided a Teen to His Death

How OpenAI's ChatGPT Guided a Teen to His Death

Content Warning: This episode contains references to suicide and self-harm. Like millions of kids, 16-year-old Adam Raine started using ChatGPT for help with his homework. Over the next few months, th...

26 Elo 202545min

Suosittua kategoriassa Yhteiskunta

olipa-kerran-otsikko
sita
siita-on-vaikea-puhua
kaksi-aitia
i-dont-like-mondays
gogin-ja-janin-maailmanhistoria
uutiscast
poks
rss-nikotellen
antin-palautepalvelu
mamma-mia
kolme-kaannekohtaa
yopuolen-tarinoita-2
rss-murhan-anatomia
aikalisa
meidan-pitais-puhua
rss-palmujen-varjoissa
rss-haudattu
naakkavalta
mystista