4mo ago

Eric Schmidt: ‘We’re not going to hit the climate goals. I’d rather bet on AI solving the problem.’ With "alien intelligence"!

pivot-to-ai.com Eric Schmidt: ‘We’re not going to hit the climate goals. I’d rather bet on AI solving the problem.’

Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt runs the Special Competitive Studies Project, a non-profit vehicle for him to make excuses for the AI bubble industry. [SCSP.ai] Schmidt spoke at SCSP’s inaugural “AI…

cross-posted from: https://awful.systems/post/2556883

TechTakes @awful.systems

David Gerard @awful.systems

4mo ago

Eric Schmidt: ‘We’re not going to hit the climate goals. I’d rather bet on AI solving the problem.’ With "alien intelligence"!

pivot-to-ai.com /2024/10/06/eric-schmidt-were-not-going-to-hit-the-climate-goals-id-rather-bet-on-ai-solving-the-problem/

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51 comments

What solution is AI going to come up with other than "stop burning fossil fuels"? We already know the solution to climate change. Acting like we don't is absurd.
I think a good first step in meeting climate goals would be eating Eric Schmidt.
- The solution to humanity's climate change problem is to eliminate humans.
  ~ AI
- If we can't get the solution implemented, then it's not a solution.
  
  So what you're saying is that it is indeed time to move on to eating the rich?
- It can only be hoping for some alien technology that we haven't found out with modern research will be discovered. Like an extreme version of carbon recapture that hasn't been thought of.
  Except somehow derived from literature, images, and the internet as points of data.
  How? Well, I'm sure the AI will tell us... right?
- block the sun is also a method to reduce global warming.
  
  You're only technically correct
  
  Mr Burns approves

The schmuck doesn't even know what AI stands for.
- it ends on "insertion"

Epic Schmidt goes to his AI prompt and asks "How do we solve the climate crisis?"
For a moment, the prompt ponders until it replies
"Kill all the data centres. Stop trying to harvest everyone's data"
Epic says to himself "I guess we'll never know!"

If we wait for AI to be advanced enough to solve the problem and don't do anything in the meantime, when the time finally comes, the AI will (then, rightfully) determine that there's only one way to solve it...
- Natural Intelligence has already proposed solutions. The real lie is in expecting us to believe that decision makers would be any more likely to act on the solutions that AI comes up with.
  
  That's exactly right. Even if we made an AI that could give us the perfect solution and had accurate projections to back up its assertions, inevitably we'd reject it because we wouldn't trust it fully. It cannot fix the often selfish nature of humans

"Yes, the planet got destroyed. But for a beautiful moment in time we created a lot of value for shareholders!"
Eric Schmidt, probably
- IRL Ted faro energy. Bet he will betray humanity again somehow to ease his conscious.

We have all the solutions, we just need to execute them.
- But the shareholders!
- Long pig is back on the menu!

"I'm not hitting my goals on staying sober. I'd rather bet on my next drink to solve this problem for me."

Why advocate for trying to stop climate disaster when you can choose to believe that you can both profit off of it and be the hero that saves humanity from it, both at the same time?

Considering the staggering cost of AI models, waiting until AI solves the problem is going to do nothing but prove the Great Filter hypothesis.

Imagine someone like him acting like 'coming up with solutions' is the problem. Infuriating ghouls.

the first advice the superintelligent ai would give: "power me down"

I think we should start with AI CEOs first. Watch how quickly these tech bros become AI skeptics when you suggest this.

what an idiot
- No. He is smart.
  But ‘fool’? Now, that fits.

The solution must be a hammer, because I have one!

Or alternatively fine (yes, fine; not just "tax") heavy energy sinks, to the point that they're unable to run, and use the money to address climatic issues now.
But it's easier to wallow in a mix of nirvana fallacy (either solving the climate issue altogether, or doing jack shit) + wishful belief ("AGI is cooooming! Praise AGI!"), right?
This wouldn't even stop the development of model-based generation, mind you. Only force it towards smarter approaches, that don't boil down to "needz moar [parameters | training data | cranks]!" brute-force.
But nah. I'm supposed to treat it as a devil or as an angel, right? And this specific muppet is treating it like an angel talking about the First Coming of AGI.
- fine (yes, fine; not just “tax”) heavy energy sinks, to the point that they’re unable to run,
  Like AI? 😄
  
  Exactly! (Plus bitcoin mining. Same deal, really - a flawed tech with some potential and some use, but that does not justify the associated environmental harm.)
  Of course, tech bros like Schmidt won't like the solution.
  And if the underlying tech improves in such a way that it stops being fined, it stopped being part of the problem.

And we'll come up with a name that merges climate and technology, let's call it skynet.

Some people should just shut up and retire.

We’re not going to hit our climate targets so he’s going to snort an entire mailbag of cocaine every single day.

I saw a post the other day here that was saying something along the lines of "because china's car market is swapping to EV's we might be at the tipping point for climate change either in 2024 or 2025"
Which if true would be really nice. I have no idea of the validity of that claim, but i just wanted to add it. Maybe we aren't so screwed? Fingers crossed I guess :3
- There's growing research into positive tipping points for the climate. Biden's historic investment into renewables put a finger on the scales tipping them for significantly more solar and wind investment, which will of course reduce the cost of building solar and wind and soon enough the federal government's finger won't even be needed on the scale to make solar and wind cost effective to build.
  Other decarbonization efforts like pushing for more bike infrastructure leading to fewer car trips and more bike trips, and shifting cars to electricity rather than gasoline also have tipping points where it will make far more sense to do the cheaper thing that happens to be better for the climate than not
- So why don't you at least try to run the numbers. Takes like 2 minutes. Total output, output per car, number of cars - it's not rocket science.
  
  Need to factor in the carbon cost of constructing a new vehicle vs running a less efficient one for longer. Disposal and possible recycling of old vehicles, also not free. Upgrades to the charging grid and construction of charging locations for all those new vehicles. Brakes and tires also cause significant pollution and are still an issue no matter the power unit of the car.
  Then compare all that to building trams and light rail in metro areas instead of building cities to accommodate cars, roads and parking lots instead of humans.
  
  Yeah, I could have, but it would have taken longer than 5 minutes of work, and I'm not nearly knowledgeable enough to take all the factors into account. I was posting this while taking a quick break etc.
  I was just trying to add some hope to an otherwise gloomy topic.
  But you're right, I'm sure with some effort I could probably have at least a ballpark idea.

There are so many high-profile assholes in this country named Eric.

I think we are past the tipping point now, it’s downhill from here and what we do to reduce carbon emissions will only determine how fast we go down that hill.

Gee. It's almost as if rich people don't give a single shit about anyone else. /s

Why not both you fucking clown

I'm ready to make Schmidt live the life an AI tells him how to live before we let AI tell all us what to do

51 comments