Mind Matters Natural and Artificial Intelligence News and Analysis

TagJay Richards

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AI chatbot - Artificial Intelligence digital concept

AI Chatbot Claude Passed My “Sex and Gender” Test. I’m Impressed.

The chatbot "Claude" isn't perfect, but it's miles ahead of the others.

The chatbots are improving — fast. One bot, Claude — developed by Anthropic — is truly impressive. In fact, it was the first to pass a test I’ve been giving to various chatbots over the last year. The test is a simple question, designed to determine, first, if the chatbot is just summarizing online stereotypes, or doing real analytic work, and second, if it is ideologically biased. Let me explain. For the last three years, I’ve been working on the controversy over gender ideology, which is responsible for the widespread claim that a child might be “born in the wrong body.” A central theme of this controversy is the shape-shifting uses of the word “gender.” Most people now use the Read More ›

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Tower of Babel, Abstract Painting. Cubism

A New Review for Berlinksi’s Latest Book

Despite the wonders of the scientific enterprise, it is run by humans, and is thus fallible.

By David Klinghoffer By now the authority of science has been thoroughly abused. For that, you can thank scientists themselves, their promoters in government bodies and in university PR departments, and the legions of loyal pilot fish in popular and social media. Something really came undone in the Covid era. Today, the phrase “science says” or “doctors say” prompts a smirk from about half the population, and rightly so. To capture this reality, mathematician David Berlinski in his latest book, Science After Babel, evokes the image of Bruegel’s Tower of Babel — a bloated, vain enterprise, in denial of its own failings. The ancients saw science, and the other arts, as embodied by muses — beautiful young women. We may picture something more Read More ›

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Hurricane Katrina heading towards New Orleans, Louisiana in 2005 - Elements of this image furnished by NASA

Niall Ferguson on the “Politics of Catastrophe”

How can we better respond when disaster strikes?

In today’s featured video, Discovery Institute Senior Fellow Jay Richards interviews Niall Ferguson, Senior Fellow of Hoover Institution and author of “Doom: The Politics of Catastrophe,” about the history of disasters and how we should think about them. (REGISTER NOW FOR COSM 2023) COSM is an exclusive national summit on the technologies remaking the world as we know it. The mission of the conference is to stimulate debate and deliberation amongst industry leaders, illuminating the synergy between Seattle and the world and providing a scene of civilized conversation and exchange. (REGISTER NOW FOR COSM 2023) We’ve been sharing a number of lectures from past COSM conferences. This video is just one of many you can find at the Bradley Center’s YouTube page. Read More ›

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Medical Development Laboratory: Caucasian Female Scientist Looking Under Microscope, Analyzes Petri Dish Sample. Specialists Working on Medicine, Biotechnology Research in Advanced Pharma Lab

Killing Diseases and Living Longer

Can innovations in biotechnology enhance and lengthen human life?

Can innovations in biotechnology enhance and lengthen human life? This is question typical to the COSM Conference, where today’s leading voices in tech and science converge to discuss the potentials of the present and the vision of the future. Here, Discovery Institute Senior Fellow Jay Richards interviews Matt Scholz, CEO Of OISON Biotechnologies, on new approaches to killing disease and living longer.  (REGISTER NOW FOR COSM 2023) COSM is an exclusive national summit on the converging technologies remaking the world as we know it. From artificial intelligence to 5G and WiFi6, from tokenized time to blockchain, from cloud computing to the quantum revolution, and from biotech to the nanotech revolution, COSM brings together some of the greatest minds of our Read More ›

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Smart city dot point connect with gradient grid line, connection technology metaverse concept. Night city banner with big data.

Dan Mapes and the “Spatial Web”

Is this the next step of the evolving Internet?

In an interview with philosopher Jay Richards, Dan Mapes, Founder of Verses Technologies, describes what he sees as the next step in the evolution of the Internet: the spatial web. (REGISTER NOW FOR COSM 2023) “In a way you’re shrink-wrapping the world with data,” said Mapes in describing “digital twinning,” which seeks to compute 3-D spaces to an online world. “You want to be able to navigate to these places just like they were websites.” Mapes noted that users of the “spatial web” could also visit fantasy worlds like Hogwarts, not just real-life places like airports, city blocks, and work offices. He thinks it will have major implications in air travel, directing autonomous drones, etc. You can watch the full, Read More ›

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High internet speed

What is the Future of the Internet?

Jay Richards interviews University of Texas Professor of Innovation Bob Metcalfe regarding the future of the internet

In today’s featured video from a past COSM conference, Discovery Institute Senior Fellow Jay Richards interviews University of Texas Professor of Innovation Bob Metcalfe regarding the future of the internet. Be sure to register now for the COSM 2023 conference, which will be held in November in Bellevue, Washington. COSM is an exclusive national summit on the technologies remaking the world as we know it. The mission of the conference is to stimulate debate and deliberation amongst industry leaders, illuminating the synergy between Seattle and the world and providing a scene of civilized conversation and exchange. We’ve been sharing a number of lectures from past COSM conferences. This video is just one of many you can find at the Bradley Read More ›

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Doctor with virtual reality in operation room in hospital.Surgeon analyzing patient heart testing result and human anatomy on technological digital futuristic virtual interface,digital holographic

Can AI Customize and Individualize Healthcare?

Mundie thinks some aspects of biology are too complex for humans. Could AI help?
Craig Mundie says that his dream is to make artificial intelligence one day rival human intellect. Read More ›
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Shanghai, China

Big Tech and China

Evaluating the technological competition between the two superpowers

How should the United States deal with China? Jay Richards interviews Dr. Bob Kelly, Managing Partner of Ignition Partners, on a panel he was included in. The panel explored the technological competition between the U.S. and China, what it means for the future, and presented differing schools of thought on how the United States should approach China moving forward. We’ve been sharing a number of lectures from past COSM conferences. This video is just one of many you can find at the Bradley Center’s YouTube page. There you’ll find several lectures, interviews, and panels dealing with issues that range from economics, Big Tech, and artificial intelligence. Notable speakers include 2022 Kyoto Prize winner Carver Mead, venture capitalist Peter Thiel, and George Gilder, co-founder of Discovery Read More ›

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.Smart cars with automatic sensor driving on metropolis with wireless connection

Is Automated & Shared Vehicle Tech a Benefit to Humanity?

Mistele thinks these kinds of vehicles will be cost-effective and safer all around.
Much more convenient and cost-effective, safer, and will lead to more effective land use by being able to do away with parking garages, street parking, etc. Read More ›
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Robotic hand study for object manipulation strategy.

Jay Richards Talks Transhumanism and AI

The underlying philosophy of transhumanism should be rejected

Dr. Jay Richards, a Senior Fellow at Discovery Institute and a friend of the Walter Bradley Center, which publishes Mind Matters, spoke recently at the Acton University conference, discussing both transhumanism and AI. Transhumanists, Richards notes, look at the scope of “cosmic evolution,” see a kind of increasing complexity among the human race, and speculate the next dramatic step: achieving immortality through a mixture of genetic engineering, nanotechnology, and artificial intelligence. Richards described the transhumanist ideology as “anti-human,” but cautioned against having a reactionary response to all new technologies that seem to be involved in transhumanism’s vision, noting that some of them, when analyzed specifically, could have benefits (such as AI). The underlying philosophy of transhumanism, however, should be rejected. Read More ›

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Pharmacist holding medicine box and capsule pack in pharmacy drugstore.

The Role of Information Theory in Medicine

Jay Richards interviews Matt Scholz, Founder & CEO of Oisín Biotechnologies about the challenges and promises of the information theory of biotech

Jay Richards interviews Matt Scholz, Founder & CEO of Oisín Biotechnologies about the challenges and promises of the information theory of biotech. Besides the regulatory environment, Scholz believes that one of the biggest impediments to breakthroughs in medicine is the ability to empower the patient. Strangely, the one person who has no say in healthcare is the patient who ought to be “the arbiter of what goes into their body and not just be subject to the whims of the system.” Matthew Scholz is Immusoft’s founder and served as the company’s Chief Executive Officer from 2009 through 2017. Immusoft’s inflection point as a company came when Matthew conceived how a research system developed by Nobel Laureate and former President of Read More ›

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Builders in work clothes install new roofing tools, roofing tools, electric drill and use them on new wooden roofs with metal sheets

The One Thing Only Humans Can Do

What makes human beings unique? Will artificial intelligence take over our jobs?

What makes human beings unique? Will artificial intelligence take over our jobs? The Walter Bradley Center for Natural and Artificial Intelligence, which publishes Mind Matters, was launched largely to respond to questions like these. In a panel discussion at the Dallas launch of the Bradley Center, Baylor Professor of Computer Engineering Robert J. Marks offered some thoughts on the evening’s topic, “Will ‘Smart’ Machines Take Over Our Jobs?” This is a great video to watch if you’re new to Mind Matters or are interested in learning more about the unique perspective of the Bradley Center. Marks doesn’t offer doomsday approximations of the future of AI, but neither does he disregard the challenges it poses. According to him, though, there’s one Read More ›

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Face of female robot, Artificial intelligence concept. Generative AI

Dystopia, Utopia, or Somewhere in Between?

Two great minds on the future of "smart machines"

We’ve been featuring several videos from last year’s jam-packed COSM conference, which featured celebrated speakers like Kyoto Prize winner Carver Mead, venture capitalist Peter Thiel, and a number of other highly influential voices in technology and science. Today, however, we’re sharing a video from the archives of Discovery Institute’s Center for Science and Culture on the future of “smart machines,” including the dawn of sex robots. The video features a conversation between Discovery Institute’s Jay Richards and Michael Medved, who is a Senior Fellow with Discovery Insitute’s Center for Wealth & Poverty and a renowned radio broadcaster. Their discussion is remarkably pertinent to both the benefits and challenges raised by artificial intelligence and the future of “smart technology.” You can Read More ›

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Panel on AI at COSM 2022

AI’s Lack of Understanding

How are we to view AI in an era where it increasingly seems to mimic human intelligence so well?

We’ve been highlighting a number of interviews from last year’s COSM conference, which attracted many of the most celebrated and respected engineers, scholars, and scientists from around the country. In today’s featured clip, George Montañez, Assistant Professor of Computer Science at Harvey Mudd College, shares his perspective on COSM 2022’s panel on artificial intelligence—areas of agreement and disagreement about the nature and future of artificial intelligence. Montañez, like Robert J. Marks, with whom he shared the panel, thinks AI is impressive and that we’ve made incredible strides in the field of computation, but maintains that these systems lack understanding and sentience. Blake Lemoine, the other panelist in the conversation, thinks AI is capable of a bit more than mere algorithmic Read More ›

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Gold bitcoin cryptocurrency coins on yellow backgound

John Tamny and the Future of Money

Forbes editor John Tamny discusses his views on crypto and traditional forms of money at COSM 2022

The 2022 COSM conference saw a number of remarkable speakers, including winner of last year’s prestigious Kyoto Prize, Carver Mead, and Forbes editor John Tamny, who is featured in today’s highlighted video from the conference. Tamny sat down with philosopher Jay Richards to share his thoughts on the conference and his views on the future of money, especially regarding cryptocurrencies versus traditional forms. You can watch the conversation here, and can also access many other great talks and interviews on the Center’s main YouTube page.

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Lemoine at COSM 2022: A Conversation on AI and LaMDA

Will AI ever become "sentient"?

Blake Lemoine, ex-Google employee and AI expert, sat down with Discovery Institute’s Jay Richards at the 2022 COSM conference last November. Together they discussed AI, Google, and how and why Lemoine got to where he is today. Lemoine famously claimed last year that LaMDA, Google’s breakthrough AI technology, had achieved sentience. Lemoine explains that many people at Google thought AI had the potential for sentience, but that such technology should not be made prematurely for fear of the negative impacts it could have on society. You can listen to their interesting and brief conversation in the video below, and be sure to see more sessions from the 2022 COSM conference featuring Lemoine and other leaders and innovators in technology on Read More ›

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Non-Computable You: Bradley Center Celebrates Human Creativity in 2022

Humans are unique and will never be replaced by the machines they invent.

Note: Mind Matters News is made possible by support from the Walter Bradley Center for Natural and Artificial Intelligence, a project of the non-profit Discovery Institute. Here is a report of our activities for 2022. If you benefit from the work of Mind Matters News, could you donate to support our work in 2023? Humans are unique and will never be replaced by the machines they invent. That was the powerful takeaway from this year’s new book by Walter Bradley Center Director Robert J. Marks, Non-Computable You: What You Do that Artificial Intelligence Never Will. The release of Marks’ book was one of many ways that the Bradley Center advanced its mission in 2022 to defend human dignity and creativity Read More ›

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Robot hand putting fresh cherry on top of the cupcake

As the Robot Fry Cook Takes Over the Kitchen …

… Jay Richards’ new short “Science Uprising” special dismisses philosophical claims that humans are mere “meat machines”

Science Uprising released an extra feature on Tuesday, following Science Uprising 10, in which philosopher Jay Richards discusses what underlies the myths of artificial intelligence: It isn’t a superior grasp of the technology involved that drives some (Stephen Hawking, Elon Musk, and others) to warn that AI will achieve superiority over human beings, drive us out of work, and finally out of existence. It’s the hidden premise that humans are just “meat machines” rather than spiritual beings in a creator’s image. If that were true, of course it would follow that other, faster machines would likely overtake and replace us. David Klinghoffer, “Jay Richards: Myths, Metaphysics, and Artificial Intelligence” at Evolution News (October 4, 2022) However it plays out among Read More ›

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Robot Women 2

Science Uprising 10: Asking the Impolite Questions About AI

Specifically about the big AI Takeover. Let's get past the TED talks

In Episode 10 of Science Uprising (September 21, 2022 10:35 min), we get a look at why — despite ultra-fashionable TED Talk-style doomsday claims — computers are not taking over. The short film starts with Sophia the Robot, that some hope will play a big role in health care for seniors: “Hello, world.” (0:13) “What emotion do you feel being awake in life?” “Curious.” Great. (Yikes…!) The film then cuts to the Oxford Future of Humanity Institute’s Nick Bostrom who announces to an enthralled gathering, “Machine intelligence is the last invention that humanity will ever need to make. Machines will then be better at inventing than we are now, as superintelligence with such technological maturity would be extremely powerful and Read More ›