Palantir CTO says "many AI researchers are starting to smoke as a sign of their faith in AI" - YAMDAS 現更新履歴

What happened

Palantir's chief technology officer (CTO), Shyam Sankar, said that many AI researchers who think AI can cure cancer have started smoking. In his words, they started smoking to show other researchers how much they believe in AI. He did not name anyone, so the number of people is unclear. The article also says Avi Schiffman, founder of the AI wearable startup Friend, said that by the time he gets lung cancer, the company's AI robots will cure it.

Key facts

• Sankar did not name any researchers, so no one knows how many people he means.
• Avi Schiffman is the founder of the AI wearable startup Friend.
• The author says Sankar criticizes these AI researchers for treating AGI (AI that can think like a human in many areas) like a 'machine god'.

Background

Palantir is a US company that makes software for data analysis, used by governments and the military. Sankar has co-written several books about Palantir in recent years. The author also recalls Eric Schmidt, who said that climate goals cannot be met anyway, so money should go all in on AI infrastructure. Gary Marcus strongly criticized this idea. A new Japanese book about Palantir's role in Japan's defense is also coming out next month.

Why it matters

The author thinks it is fine for people to choose to smoke. But using the idea that AI will cure cancer as a reason to start smoking seems strange. The story also shows how some tech leaders talk about AI with very strong belief, and how others push back on that belief.

What to watch

• Whether Sankar's book about Palantir is translated into Japanese, as the author hopes, possibly next year.
• How the debate about AGI and AI hype continues among researchers and tech leaders.