Shows
Into AI SafetyAgainst 'The Singularity' w/ Dr. David ThorstadPhilosopher Dr. David Thorstad tears into one of AI safety's most influential arguments: the singularity hypothesis. We discuss why the idea of recursive self-improvement leading to superintelligence doesn't hold up under scrutiny, how these arguments have redirected hundreds of millions in funding away from proven interventions, and why people keep backpedaling to weaker versions when challenged.David walks through the actual structure of singularity arguments, explains why similar patterns show up in other longtermist claims, and makes the case for why we should focus on concrete problems happening right now like poverty, disease, the rise of authoritarianism...
2025-11-241h 09
Bio(un)ethical#18 David Thorstad: Evidence, uncertainty, and existential riskIn this episode, we speak with Dr. David Thorstad: Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Vanderbilt University, Senior Research Affiliate at the Global Priorities Institute, and author of the blog, Reflective Altruism. We discuss existential risks–threats that could permanently destroy or drastically curtail humanity’s future–and how we should reason about these risks under significant uncertainty.(00:00) Our introduction(09:32) Interview begins(14:32) The longtermism shift(23:17) Framework for objections to longtermism(29:47) Overestimating existential risk: population dynamics(36:06) Overestimating existential risk: cumulative vs. period risk(39:44) Overestimating existential risk: ignoring backgr...
2025-02-111h 38
Business TalkUnlocking Inquiry Dr. David Thorstad’s Guide to Boundless ThinkingHerbert Simon emphasized the shift in bounded rationality from substantive to procedural rationality. Substantive rationality focuses on what we should prefer or believe, while procedural rationality examines how we determine those preferences or beliefs. Simon argued that the key task for bounded rationality theories is to develop a framework for rational inquiry under constraints. "Inquiry Under Bounds" builds on this by proposing a five-point bounded rationality program rooted in cognitive science. Dr. David Thorstad advocates for a reason-responsiveness consequentialist approach, clarifying and defending core insights of bounded rationality and addressing recent epistemological debates.
Dr. David Thorstad is an Assistant Professor...
2025-01-0519 min
The ValmyDavid Thorstad: Bounded Rationality and the Case Against Longtermism Podcast: The Gradient: Perspectives on AI Episode: David Thorstad: Bounded Rationality and the Case Against LongtermismRelease date: 2024-05-02Get Podcast Transcript →powered by Listen411 - fast audio-to-text and summarizationEpisode 122I spoke with Professor David Thorstad about:* The practical difficulties of doing interdisciplinary work* Why theories of human rationality should account for boundedness, heuristics, and other cognitive limitations* why EA epistemics suck (ok, it’s a little more nuanced than that)Professor Thorstad is an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at V...
2024-05-132h 19
The Gradient: Perspectives on AIDavid Thorstad: Bounded Rationality and the Case Against LongtermismEpisode 122I spoke with Professor David Thorstad about:* The practical difficulties of doing interdisciplinary work* Why theories of human rationality should account for boundedness, heuristics, and other cognitive limitations* why EA epistemics suck (ok, it’s a little more nuanced than that)Professor Thorstad is an Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Vanderbilt University, a Senior Research Affiliate at the Global Priorities Institute at Oxford, and a Research Affiliate at the MINT Lab at Australian National University. One strand of his research asks how cognitively limited agents should decide what to...
2024-05-022h 19
For Humanity: An AI Risk PodcastEpisode #25 - “Does The AI Safety Movement Have It All Wrong?” Dr. Émile Torres Interview, For Humanity: An AI Safety PodcastEpisode #25 - “Does The AI Safety Movement Have It All Wrong?” Dr. Émile Torres Interview, For Humanity: An AI Safety PodcastFULL INTERVIEW STARTS AT (00:08:20)DONATE HERE TO HELP PROMOTE THIS SHOWhttps://www.paypal.com/paypalme/forhumanitypodcastIn episode #25, host John Sherman and Dr. Emile Torres explore the concept of humanity's future and the rise of artificial general intelligence (AGI) and machine superintelligence. Dr. Torres lays out his view that the AI safety movement has it all wrong on existential threat. Concerns are voiced about the potenti...
2024-04-241h 50
EAG TalksExistential Risk Pessimism And The Time Of Perils | David Thorstad | EAGxCambridge 2023https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-BCyEPV1Og
2023-08-1957 min
EA TalksAndreas Mogensen, David Thorstad | Tough enough? Robust satisficing as a decision norm for long term | Global Priorities Institute 2021 (Academic talks) You can watch this talk with the video on the GPI YouTube channel. Presentation given March 2021.The full transcript is available here: https://globalprioritiesinstitute.org...Read the working paper: https://globalprioritiesinstitute.org...Find out more about the Global Priorities Institute: https://globalprioritiesinstitute.org/Effective Altruism is a social movement dedicated to finding ways to do the most good possible, whether through charitable donations, career choices, or volunteer projects. EA Global conferences are gatherings for EAs to meet. You can also listen to this talk along with its accompanying v...
2023-05-0132 minEA TalksExistential Risk Pessimism and the Time of Perils | David Thorstad | EAGxOxford 22David Thorstad (Global Priorities Institute) speaks on how to think about the end of the world.View the original talk and video here.Effective Altruism is a social movement dedicated to finding ways to do the most good possible, whether through charitable donations, career choices, or volunteer projects. EA Global conferences are gatherings for EAs to meet.Effective Altruism is a social movement dedicated to finding ways to do the most good possible, whether through charitable donations, career choices, or volunteer projects. EA Global conferences are gatherings for EAs to meet. You can...
2022-11-2724 min
BJPS Short ReadsAccuracy and CoherenceDavid Thorstad asks if bounded agents can have both accuracy and coherence.
Read the essay: https://wp.me/paiQQ4-2ba
2022-10-0311 min
Believers In The True Vine PodcastMr. David Thorstad is Dead (HalleluYAH)! May NAMBLA die with him!This Episode is a call to Spiritual Arms against NAMBLA, GLAAD, LGBTQI, etc
---
Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/courtney-shaw-jr/support
2021-11-2935 min