Patient Zero
WMMM #030 - This week I share the highlights of an interview with Mo Gawdat, author of "The Future of Artificial Intelligence…"
Jeff Keplar Newsletter August 19, 2023 6 min read
Patient Zero
Suffocated by the AI Hype, I Overlooked…
I don't know about you, but nearly every source I turn to has contained a daily article on AI all summer.
I became saturated and began "tuning out" articles with "AI" in the title.
In the process, I overlooked a podcast on July 13 titled "Understanding AI's Threats and Opportunities - with Mo Gawdat."
I can now see why.
The title isn't very catchy; certainly not one of The ProfG Pod's better efforts.
But thanks to a friend returning from an extended vacation abroad, I was made aware of its insightful content just last weekend. I listened to this 90-minute episode this week and decided that this one is a must-share with all of you.
Because Win More, Make More is a newsletter and not a podcast, I offer the highlights from my point of view but encourage you to listen to the entire interview with Mo.
Highlights
Science Fiction to Science Fact Overnight
Mo Gawdat is the former Chief Business Officer of Google X. He is also the author of "Scary Smart - The Future of Artificial Intelligence and How You Can Save Our World."
From Mo:
"We cannot control AI. I think we can, however, control the situation."
"(AI) advanced rapidly from science fiction to science fact."
"AI is smarter than us (humans) in every aspect, every task."
"We have immediate (now, in 2023) threats we must address."
Mo identifies four (4) significant threats AI poses to our society.
Threat One - A Dangerous Concentration of Power
From Mo:
"AI is the superpower of the century."
"Superman has landed on the planet."
"We are at risk that no Kent family will teach him to protect and serve."
"If used for profit motives or to enhance our military prowess, Superman could be Supervillain."
Threat Two - The End of the Truth
From Mo:
"When the incentive is profit, enragement drives engagement."
"If we apply the principles of today's society, AI learns and acts that way. More of what we do will be done untraceably."
"When we show violence in the news, AI notices and continues to magnify it."
"AI can be used to help protect the truth, however."
"But already today, we have face filters and deep fakes that are so advanced, humans cannot tell the difference between the authentic (the truth) and that which was created by machines: voice, image, and tone."
Threat Three - Significant Job Loss
From Mo:
"Unless you have lived and worked in an AI Lab (as Mo has for over a decade), you cannot fathom…"
"ChatGPT's IQ is estimated to be 155 today.
"Einstein had an IQ of 160."
"ChatGPT4 is 10X more intelligent than ChatGPT3 - the two versions are only 8 months apart."
"Assume another 10X improvement takes place (inevitable) not in 8 months, but in 7 years, as a very conservative projection."
"We will have an AI machine with an IQ greater than 1000."
"It is also inevitable that AI machines will be 1000x smarter than humans.
"Humans cannot compete in this arena any longer. There is no turning back."
Threat Four - Point of No Return
From Mo:
"Twenty years ago, we knew that a pandemic was inevitable and chose not to react."
"Then we had Patient Zero - no reaction.
"Then we had Patient 1000 - the reaction was blame, finger-pointing, politicizing, and an overreaction."
"Patient Zero for AI could be the 2024 U.S. Presidential Election."
"Move 37…"
Listen to the Podcast
"Understanding AI's Threats and Opportunities - with Mo Gawdat," The ProfG Pod with Scott Galloway
Listen on Apple podcasts
Back to School
Although no one told Mother Nature, the end of summer is near, and school is back in session (in Texas.)
Has anyone noticed I changed my weekly content as summer vacation reached full throttle?
On June 24, The ADP Story - Never A Doubt, was the last sales story I published.
This week is the eighth of ten editions without a sales story in favor of a summer series of Mastering Useless Information (Be Interesting, Interested.)
Win More, Make More goes "Back to School" on September 9 with a special edition to kick off the school year.
September 11, 2001, fell on a Monday, as it does this year. I honor that day in the Sept. 9th newsletter.
A Preview of "Back to School" Sales Stories
The Origin of the ULA
When "No" didn't mean "No" - one of many AT&T sales stories
The Verizon Story
The Vartec Story
The JC Penney Story
The Southwest Airlines Story
The DISH Network Story
The Amazon.com Story
Thank you for reading,
Jeff
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