Phil Torres, XRiskology Interview, Part 2: Superintelligence

This is the much-anticipated second part of the Phil Torres
Tapes! We have a guest on the show today – Phil Torres. Phil
Torres is an author, Affiliate Scholar at
the Institute for Ethics and Emerging
Technologies, former contributor at
the Future of Life Institute, and founding
Director of the X-Risks Institute. He
has published in Bulletin of the Atomic
Scientists, Skeptic, Free Inquiry, The
Humanist, Journal of Future
Studies, Bioethics, Journal of Evolution and
Technology, Foresight, Erkenntnis,
and Metaphilosophy, as well as popular media
like Time, Motherboard, Salon, Common
Dreams, Counterpunch, Alternet, The Progressive,
and Truthout.


I was absolutely delighted that he agreed to be interviewed for a
show like ours, and so I urge you to seek out his website –
risksandreligion.org – and buy one of his books. There’s “The End
– what Science and Religion have to tell us about the
Apocalypse”, which is on my shelf already, and, recently, we
have Morality, Foresight, and Human Flourishing, which is is
an introduction to the whole field of existential risks. So I
would urge you all, if you’re interested in this topic – that of
risks to the entire human species, which I think we can agree
affects us all – to buy one of those books.

This is the second part of our conversation, which focuses on AI,
Superintelligence, and the control problem. How can we deal with
AI, how will it impact our lives and have we any hope of
controlling a superintelligent AI? There's plenty more general
discussion about existential risks, too. 

Follow Phil @xriskology and the show @physicspod.