SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
Fire good. AI better:
Google CEO Sundar Pichai says artificial intelligence is going to have a bigger impact on the world than some of the most ubiquitous innovations in history. "AI is one of the most important things humanity is working on. It is more profound than, I dunno, electricity or fire," says Pichai, speaking at a town hall event in San Francisco in January.
A number of very notable tech leaders have made bold statements about the potential of artificial intelligence. Tesla boss Elon Musks says AI is more dangerous than North Korea. Famous physicist Stephen Hawking says AI could be the "worst event in the history of our civilization." And Y Combinator President Sam Altman likens AI to nuclear fission.
Even in such company, Pichai's comment seems remarkable. Interviewer and Recode executive editor Kara Swisher stopped Pichai when he made the comment. "Fire? Fire is pretty good," she retorts. Pichai sticks by his assertion. "Well, it kills people, too," Pichai says of fire. "We have learned to harness fire for the benefits of humanity but we had to overcome its downsides too. So my point is, AI is really important, but we have to be concerned about it."
(Score: 3, Interesting) by JoeMerchant on Saturday February 03 2018, @10:48PM (3 children)
I'll bite:
GREED: we have more than we need, so we're going to invest our surplus to get more, and we're going to direct that investment with the primary (usually sole) aim of maximizing ROI.
Not GREED: we're doing this to improve some situation, resolve some problem, help people. We're going to seek an adequate ROI to ensure our ability to continue to operate and grow while still focusing on the primary goals that involve helping people.
The two can be hard to tell apart, especially in a society that doesn't promote true transparency in business dealings.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 2) by Justin Case on Sunday February 04 2018, @07:41PM (2 children)
Nobody has more than they need. Bill Gates was once the world's richest man, but he still couldn't afford to save his beloved mom from cancer.
There was once a philosopher who thought resources should be allocated by need, rather than being owned by those who produced them. Whenever Marxism is tried however, it doesn't end well. Millions of deaths are the more likely result.
Greed is what keeps everybody alive. Including animals. They desire food, they go get it... or they don't eat.
(Score: 2) by JoeMerchant on Sunday February 04 2018, @08:55PM (1 child)
Bill and Melinda Gates did decide they have more than they need, thus the charitable foundation.
If you "need" to stop your mother from dying, prevent the sun from rising in the east, or freeze the Amazon river solid for a year - you're gonna have a bad time.
🌻🌻 [google.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday February 04 2018, @10:24PM
That's fraudulently named.
It seeks to make a profit via spreading "intellectual property" paradigms.
...and by attempting to privatize public institutions.
The year that BillG doesn't net billions and billions more than he did the year before, we'll have a starting point for a discussion about "charity".
In the meantime, he's about Neoliberalism and profit, not charity.
His "charitable foundation" is a tax dodge and a Capitalist scam.
-- OriginalOwner_ [soylentnews.org]