Benjamin Breen: The Intersecting Histories of Psychedelics and AI Research

Benjamin Breen: The Intersecting Histories of Psychedelics and AI Research

Author: Daniel Bashir January 25, 2024 Duration: 1:07:45

In episode 108 of The Gradient Podcast, Daniel Bashir speaks to Professor Benjamin Breen.

Professor Breen is an associate professor of history at UC Santa Cruz specializing in the history of science, medicine, globalization, and the impacts of technological change. He is the author of multiple books including The Age of Intoxication: Origins of the Global Drug Trade and the more recent Tripping on Utopia: Margaret Mead, the Cold War, and the Troubled Birth of Psychedelic Science, which you can pre-order now.

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Outline:

* (00:00) Intro

* (02:05) Professor Breen’s background

* (04:47) End of history narratives / millenarian thinking in AI/technology

* (09:53) Transformative technological change and societal change

* (16:45) AI and psychedelics

* (17:23) Techno-utopianism

* (26:08) Technologies as metaphors for humanity

* (32:34) McLuhanist thinking / brain as a computational machine, Prof. Breen’s skepticism

* (37:13) Issues with overblown narratives about technology

* (42:46) Narratives about transformation and their impacts on progress

* (45:23) The historical importance of today’s AI landscape

* (50:05) International aspects of the history of technology

* (53:13) Doomerism vs optimism, why doomerism is appealing

* (57:58) Automation, meta-skills, jobs — advice for early career

* (1:01:08) LLMs and (history) education

* (1:07:10) Outro

Links:

* Professor Breen’s Twitter and homepage

* Books

* Tripping on Utopia: Margaret Mead, the Cold War, and the Troubled Birth of Psychedelic Science

* The Age of Intoxication: Origins of the Global Drug Trade

* Writings

* Into the mystic

* ‘Alien Jesus’

* Simulating History with ChatGPT



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Hosted by Daniel Bashir, The Gradient: Perspectives on AI moves beyond surface-level headlines to explore the intricate machinery and human ideas shaping artificial intelligence. Each episode is built on a foundation of deep research, leading to conversations that are both technically substantive and broadly accessible. You'll hear from researchers, engineers, and philosophers who are actively building and critiquing our technological future, discussing not just how AI systems work, but the larger implications of their integration into society. This isn't about speculative hype; it's a grounded examination of real progress, persistent challenges, and ethical considerations from those on the front lines. The discussions peel back layers on topics like model architecture, policy, and the fundamental science behind the algorithms becoming part of our daily lives. For anyone curious about the substance behind the buzz-whether you have a technical background or are simply keen to understand a defining technology of our age-this podcast offers a crucial and thoughtful resource. Tune in for a consistently detailed and nuanced take that treats artificial intelligence with the complexity it deserves.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

The Gradient: Perspectives on AI
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