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by ollin 2994 days ago
"""Things AI researchers agree on:

- that documentary was pretty unhelpful

- Terminator images are usually inappropriate

- AlphaGo Zero (if not other Alpha•s) was pretty cool"""

(https://twitter.com/Miles_Brundage/status/983063456424308736)

I don't have any survey results to point to, but my impression from following AI researchers from industry/academia is:

* Modern methods are many leaps of understanding behind anything resembling AGI, so any concern about research groups developing a sentient computer program behind close doors with no warning is probably misplaced.

* AI/ML causing large-scale unemployment will be a serious issue eventually, but it's difficult to make a strong case that's it's happening right now.

* The ability to monitor and manipulate individuals using ML/AI is dangerous, doesn't depend on particularly advanced technology, and is already being used by corporations and governments right now. It's a lot easier to get the public worried about terminator-style robots than about (what appear to be) simple advances in advertising or law enforcement.

* There's a strong incentive for those selling "AI technology" to oversell its ability to generalize/improve automatically. To quote Elon (of all people), "It's a mistake to think that technology automatically improves. It does not automatically improve. It only improves if a lot of people work hard to make it better."–this applies to "deep neural networks" as much as anything else.