Lunch at the Labs

Various web links I found to be of interest recently.

• The Mythology Of Conscious AI

  Why consciousness is more likely a property of life than of computation and why creating conscious, or even conscious-seeming AI, is a bad idea.

  Computational functionalism - the claim that (algorithmic) computation is sufficient for consciousness - is a very strong assumption that looks increasingly shaky as the many and deep differences between brains and (standard digital) computers come into view.
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  For my money, we ought to be more worried about the accidental emergence of consciousness in cerebral organoids (brain-like structures typically grown from human embryonic stem cells) than in any new wave of LLM.
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  But there are good reasons why the situation with AI is likely to be different. Our psychological biases are more likely to lead to false positives than false negatives. Compared to non-human animals, the apparent wonders of AI may be more similar to us in ways that do not matter for consciousness, like linguistic ability, and less similar in ways that do, like being alive.

• Why are intelligent people more liberal?

  Studies consistently find that intelligent people are more socially liberal. Though the effect isn't huge, it shows up in practically every dataset. Intelligent people are less racist, sexist and homophobic. They are less religious and less nationalistic. And they're more likely to support free speech, immigration, sexual freedom, abortion rights, gay marriage and legalisation of marijuana.
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  I would say there are two main reasons why intelligence and liberalism go together: one flattering, one less so. The flattering reason is that intelligent people are more pro-social - probably because they're less instinctual, more patient and better at perspective-taking. The less flattering reason is that they're engaged in a cognitive error (wrongly assuming that what works well for them works well for everyone).

• These dogs can learn new words just by eavesdropping

  What's more, these "gifted" dogs can learn the name of a new toy even if they first hear this word when the toy is out of sight - as long as their favorite human is looking at the spot where the toy is hidden. That's according to a new study in the journal Science.

• Why Table Tennis is the MOST COMPLEX SPORT in the World

  Youtube video

  This is a deep-dive into Table Tennis - a sport that might seem small and lacking compared to other sports at first glance. However in reality, the sport is a sophisticated synthesis of raw instinct, physical prowess and intelligence - making it the most complex sport in the entire world.

• FACT FOCUS: Trump says he's ended eight wars. His numbers are off

  Meanwhile, fresh fighting broke out in recent weeks between Thailand and Cambodia, and between Congolese forces and Rwanda-backed rebels. And one conflict that Trump has claimed to end has never been a war at all.
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  Issues ahead include disarming Hamas, creating and deploying an international security force, determining Gaza's future governance and further withdrawing Israeli forces from the devastated territory.
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  The White House lists the conflict between Serbia and Kosovo as one that Trump resolved. But there has been no threat of a war between the neighbors during Trump's second term or any significant contribution from him this year to improve relations.

• School is way worse for kids than social media

  On building a world that doesn’t make children stressed, anxious, and sad

  The modern education system is probably the single biggest threat to the mental health of children. At the very least, the evidence for its negative effects is unambiguous: the same cannot be said for social media. Generally, we view COVID as an absolute scourge upon the mental health of young people. But when children stopped going to school, something interesting happened. Their suicide rates plummetted and remained low throughout the summer. In the fall — when most schools returned to in-person instruction — they started killing themselves again.

• How Geese took flight to become 'Gen Z's first great American band'

  The Brooklyn four-piece - comprised of childhood friends Cameron Winter (vocals, keyboards), Emily Green (guitar) and Max Bassin (drums) alongside Dominic DiGesu (bass) - formed in high school, and were set to split up before they went to college.
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  It finds Geese sounding a little like their influences - The Velvet Underground, Captain Beefheart, Suicide, The Strokes and Radiohead - and a lot like something entirely new and original.

• Skylight: Your feed. Your rules

  Open source TikTok Alternative

• Scam Detector: Website Validator

  Scam Detector, Website Reviews and Online Scam Protection