) ended with a preview of Dario's thoughts on five ways AI can improve the quality of human life. Today, we will look at the first three.
1. Biology and Physical Health
Almost all the work that biologists do.
The application potential of AI
CRISPR gene-editing technology Various microscopic techniques for precise observation Genome sequencing and synthesis Optogenetic technology mRNA vaccines Cell therapy, such as CAR-T Etiological theory of diseases, such as the association between the immune system and cancer
"The Compressed 21st Century"
If there were more talented and creative AI researchers, the pace of discovery in biology could be accelerated tenfold or even more. The success of AlphaFold/AlphaProteo provides a strong testament to this view. Despite decades of carefully crafted physical modeling, these AI systems can still solve critical problems more effectively than humans.
": after the development of powerful AI, we will accomplish all the progress in biology and medicine that would have originally taken the entire 21st century, but within just a few years.
* I have a friend who originally studied biology and later switched to the internet industry. I asked him, 'Why did you study biology in the first place?' He said, a high school teacher once said that the 21st century would be the century of biology. I asked again, 'Then why did you switch careers later?' He replied, 'After studying it, I realized that the development of biology might have to wait until the second half of the century.' But now it seems that breakthroughs could come in the first half of the century.
Expected results within 5-10 years
Reliable prevention and treatment for almost all natural infectious diseases Elimination of most cancers Effective prevention and treatment of genetic diseases Prevention of Alzheimer's disease Improved treatments for most other diseases Biological freedom: weight, appearance, reproduction, and other biological processes will be entirely under individual control Doubling of the human lifespan to 150 yearswith the possibility of breaking through the "escape velocity" to achieve immortality!
2. Neuroscience and Mental Health
Hundreds of millions of people have extremely low quality of life due to issues like addiction, depression, schizophrenia, low-functioning autism, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), antisocial personality disorder, or intellectual disabilities; billions more grapple with mild versions of these severe clinical disorders in their daily lives. AI not only promises to address existing problems but may also transcend them, thereby
Interpretability
"This fundamental question is the same. For example, a computational mechanism discovered by explainability researchers in AI systems has recently been rediscovered in the mouse brain.
Scaling hypothesis / Bitter lesson
The idea that "a simple objective function combined with large amounts of data can drive extremely complex behaviors" makes understanding the objective function and architectural biases more interesting, while understanding the emergent computational details becomes less critical.
aha – this is an explanation, at a high level, of how intelligence works and how it so easily evolved
Even in the AI field, the expansion hypothesis as the "secret of intelligence" has not yet been fully accepted.
Expected outcomes within 5-10 years
Most mental illnesses may be curable Inducing the adult brain into an earlier or more plastic state for reshaping Effective genetic prevention of mental illness Daily psychological issues are resolved The baseline human experience could be greatly improved, such as insights, creative inspiration, compassion, satisfaction, transcendence, love, beauty, and the tranquility found in meditation.
Mind Uploading
"Mind uploading," a concept frequently mentioned in science fiction, involves capturing the patterns and dynamics of the human brain and instantiating them as software. The author believes that uploading is almost certainly possible in principle, but even with powerful AI, it faces significant technical and social challenges in practice, likely extending beyond the 5-10 year time frame we are discussing.
3. Economic Development and Poverty
This will allow the whole world to benefit. With the help of AI, we have the opportunity to reduce global inequality and improve the quality of life for everyone, especially those who need the most help in terms of economics and health.
* I reserve judgment on this point. The introduction of new technologies, globalization, and financial instruments has indeed increased per capita income and improved the living standards of the poorest people, but these factors often exacerbate the wealth gap.
Expected results within 5-10 years
Global distribution of health interventions: AI-driven health benefits are expected to spread to the world's poorest countries, potentially covering about 50%. Economic growth: Developing countries achieve an average annual GDP growth rate of 20%, with 10% coming from AI-driven economic decision-making and another 10% from the natural expansion of AI-accelerated technologies. Food security: An AI-driven "Second Green Revolution" that helps bridge the gap between developing and developed countries. Tackling climate change: AI will drive advances in multiple technologies, such as carbon removal from the atmosphere, clean energy technology, and lab-grown meat that reduces reliance on carbon-intensive factory farming, all aimed at mitigating or preventing climate change. Inequality within nations: While technological progress may exacerbate initial inequalities, under mature market and political systems, there is an opportunity for broader dissemination of technology, which can help alleviate social tensions caused by these disparities. Reduction in challenges brought by opting out: AI can also play a positive role in enhancing public understanding, disseminating scientific knowledge, and dispelling misunderstandings, helping to mitigate the impact of "opt-out" phenomena on social equity.
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Tomorrow we will continue to share the remaining two points.
4. Peace and Governance
5. Work and Meaning