@aeberman12:
This is a terrific & brutally honest discussion about AI with a guy who replicated ChatGPT at home
It’s fantastically honest and blunt. I love this interview even though I disagree that data centres are only being built outside communities – they’re already in communities seriously polluting with air and noise pollution and sickening people (refer to the added refs below). I hate AI, and refuse to use it because of its water and energy waste, and because I like my brain. I don’t want AI to rot my brain and destroy my independent critical thinking.
Developer Connor Leahy joins @NJHagens to unpack what that means for society, power, & the pace of collapse.
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Connor: … They learn to emulate many many things that humans do.
Nate Hagens: So they not only emulate human brilliance and science and inference, but also our delusion and self-deception?
Connor Leahy: Absolutely!
Nate: And over confidence?
Connor: Absolutely.
Nate: And macho testosterone “I need to be right” for status and bla bla bla.
Connor: Ya. … It gets crazier than that. … [AIs] are like super schizophrenic. … There’s no oversight.
Nate: What are the big risks?
Connor: Extinction risks …
…
Nate: Do you know what my honest reaction is when I hear this? … I really wanna buy a puppy … because a puppy is AI proof. …
Connor: … This is why I think the first thing is .. very clearly .. it should be illegal to build ASI.
CLICK ON LINK TO LISTEN: Connor Leahy — Algorithmic Cancer: Why AI Development Is Not What You Think 1 Hr 37 Min. June 25, 2025, Ep 184, Interview with Nate Hagens, The Great Simplification
Description
Recently, the risks about Artificial Intelligence and the need for ‘alignment’ have been flooding our cultural discourse – with Artificial Super Intelligence acting as both the most promising goal and most pressing threat. But amid the moral debate, there’s been surprisingly little attention paid to a basic question: do we even have the technical capability to guide where any of this is headed? And if not, should we slow the pace of innovation until we better understand how these complex systems actually work?
In this episode, Nate is joined by Artificial Intelligence developer and researcher, Connor Leahy, to discuss the rapid advancements in AI, the potential risks associated with its development, and the challenges of controlling these technologies as they evolve. Connor also explains the phenomenon of what he calls ‘algorithmic cancer’ – AI generated content that crowds out true human creations, propelled by algorithms that can’t tell the difference. Together, they unpack the implications of AI acceleration, from widespread job disruption and energy-intensive computing to the concentration of wealth and power to tech companies.
What kinds of policy and regulatory approaches could help slow down AI’s acceleration in order to create safer development pathways? Is there a world where AI becomes a tool to aid human work and creativity, rather than replacing it? And how do these AI risks connect to the deeper cultural conversation about technology’s impacts on mental health, meaning, and societal well-being?
About Connor Leahy
Connor Leahy is the founder and CEO of Conjecture, which works on aligning artificial intelligence systems by building infrastructure that allows for the creation of scalable, auditable, and controllable AI.
Previously, he co-founded EleutherAI, which was one of the earliest and most successful open-source Large Language Model communities, as well as a home for early discussions on the risks of those same advanced AI systems. Prior to that, Connor worked as an AI researcher and engineer for Aleph Alpha GmbH.
Refer also to:
This fucker Massimo Geremia below intends to frac Rosebud, Standard and other neighbouring communities for brain damaging sour oil. As if we weren’t frac’d enough already and under enough severe water loss and drought because of oil and gas. I received official notice last week. Wanna bet Massimo or his company sneaks in data centres again on leases here with bad production or fracs gone bad? There’s no regulation! Most landowners are too busy to watch. AER helps companies break the law! And the current Alberta gov’t is the most evil and corrupt ever.
AI is coming for the world’s energy and water.
Like frac’ers, AI devours fresh water and is grossly energy intensive and polluting.
AI and the death of dignity. Another reason why I hate AI.
2023: Why I hate AI