Palantir CTO Shyam Sankar has ‘AI theory’ for researchers taking up smoking
Palantir CTO Shyam Sankar suggests that some AI researchers have taken up smoking as a symbolic gesture of their belief in AI's potential to solve major problems like cancer. He also criticizes the 'doomsday' culture surrounding AI safety, attributing it to effective altruism.
Why it matters
This provides insight into the ideological divide within Silicon Valley regarding the existential risks and future trajectory of artificial intelligence.
Palantir chief technology officer Shyam Sankar has an unusual explanation for why some AI researchers are picking up cigarettes. According to him, lighting up is their way of telling peers just how firmly they believe artificial intelligence will one day cure cancer. Sankar made the remark in a US television interview on Sunday, while arguing that fear-driven narratives are muddying the AI safety debate. He did not name any researchers or offer evidence. "So many AI researchers have started smoking as a way of signaling to other researchers how much they believe in AI," he said. The smoker's message, in his words, is: "I'm showing you my chips are all in."The claim was part of a bigger argument.
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