Griefbots (also called deathbots, AI ghosts, AI clones, death avatars, and postmortem avatars) are large language models built on available information about the deceased, such as social media, letters, photos, diaries, and videos. Nir and J debate whether they are just another way to commemorate our loved ones or a violation of human dignity.

Dario Amodei, CEO Anthropic. Machines of Loving Grace: How AI Could Transform the World for the Better (October 2024)

Hosted by James Hughes and Nir Eisikovits Produced by Jake Burley Music by Jake Burley

This week on Prosthetic Gods, Nir and J discuss the pros and cons of life-tracking or “self-quantification,” with tools like health watches, and the “life-hacking” that these tools encourage, from dieting and exercise to sleep and meditation. How do we know when we are being distracted and made miserable by all this self-knowledge, and when it is helpful? Could AI life coaches, tracking every vital, help us live happier, longer lives?

• Self-Absorption in the Digital Era: A Review of "Self-Improvement Technologies of the Soul in the Age of Artificial Intelligence" by Mark Coeckelbergh
• “Know Thyself, Improve Thyself: Personalized LLMs for Self-Knowledge and Moral Enhancement,” Julian Savulescu
• Trump administration directs federal health agencies to pause communications
• Stargate AI Iniatitive, Spurned by Musk, Trumped by Chinese DeepSeek Breakthroughs
• China’s cheap, open AI model DeepSeek thrills scientists
• Why everyone in AI is freaking out about DeepSeek
• OpenAI Unveils A.I. Agent That Can Use Websites on Its Own

Hosted by James Hughes and Nir Eisikovits Produced by Jake Burley Music by Jake Burley

On this week’s Prosthetic Gods Nir and J. discuss the ethics of life extension and anti-aging therapies. Is there a benefit to involuntary death? Would getting very old necessarily be boring or depressing? How can we ensure that everyone benefits?

Zuckerberg removes fact-checking from Facebook

Bezos imposes ban on criticism of Trump/Musk at WashPo

Sam Altman moves up the timelines for AGI and ASI

Journal abstracts written by asking LLMs to summarize papers are perceived as more authentic, clear and compelling than those created solely by academics.

Hosted by James Hughes and Nir Eisikovits Produced by Jake Burley Music by Jake Burley

J and Nir talk to Tal Hassner, formerly of Amazon and Meta, about Deep Fakes, AGI, and whether there is such a thing as a tech-proof job.

Find out more about Tal here: https://talhassner.github.io/home/

Hosted by James Hughes and Nir Eisikovits Produced by Jake Burley Music by Jake Burley

Nir and J. talk about facial recognition. Topics covered include considerations of bias, the role of privacy, and whether facial recognition is substantially different from other identification technologies.

“Halt the use of facial-recognition technology until it is regulated" by Kate Crawford

On Liberty by John Stuart Mills

The Two Cultures and the Scientific Revolution by C.P. Snow

Hosted by James Hughes and Nir Eisikovits Produced by Jake Burley Music by Jake Burley

Nir and J. talk about the prospects for tech policy under Trump's second term. They discuss the new administration's attitudes toward content moderation, what the next four years mean for Artificial Intelligence, and Elon Musk's potential influence on tech policy moving forward.

Credits: Hosted by James Hughes and Nir Eisikovits Produced by Jake Burley Music by Jake Burley

Nir and J. discuss ethical issues surrounding so-called super soldiers and human augmentation in warfare.

• Human Augmentation - The Dawn of a New Paradigm
• Can A.I. Be Blamed for a Teen’s Suicide?

Hosted by James Hughes and Nir Eisikovits Produced by Jake Burley Music by Jake Burley

In this episode, Nir and J. discuss whether machines can be moral. What does it take for something to be a moral patient or moral subject? Can morality be distilled down to a set of rules? Is the red-teaming and safety testing of large language models a way to teach machines morality?

• Moral Machines by Colin Allen and Wendell Wallach

Hosted by James Hughes and Nir Eisikovits Produced by Jake Burley Music by Jake Burley