An interview with sci-fi writer Ted Chiang on AI's limits, how current machines are not conscious, his 2010 novella The Lifecycle of Software Objects, and more
The visionary author on the limits of AI, the uses of science fiction — and why there's a ‘market opportunity for volleyballs’
'AI-generated text is not delightful, but it could perhaps be useful in certain areas. “But that's not exactly a resounding endorsement,” he says. “That's more a statement about how much bullshit we are required to generate in our daily lives."' https://www.ft.com/...
“Applied statistics is a far more precise descriptor [than AI], “but no one wants to use that term, because it's not as sexy"" https://enterprise-sharing.ft.com/ ...
Ted Chiang right as usual: I loved the comparison with Tom Hanks's Wilson the volleyball. The volleyball felt real to us, too, but it was only what was put into it that was real: love, loneliness, art. https://twitter.com/...
I enjoy reading Ted Chiang's thoughts on anything, but it's so distracting that FT style is to italicize the titles of books and movies and also “spanakopita” and “baba ganoush”. https://www.ft.com/...
Yes indeed! Glad some get it 😜 'If we had chosen a different phrase for [artificial intelligence], we might have avoided a lot of the confusion that we're having now.' Sci-fi writer Ted Chiang discusses his re-definition of AI as ‘applied statistics’: https://www.ft.com/...