Bernie Sanders seems to be missing the point here

This is all a bit Canute really, isn’t it?

Bernie Sanders has warned that Congress and the American public have “not a clue” about the scale and speed of the coming AI revolution, pressing for urgent policy action to “slow this thing down” as tech companies race to build ever-more powerful systems.

This is to think that action by Congress - or a bureaucracy, even the Federal Government - is going to stop, or even slow, the expansion of the new technology. Everyone, everwhere, is racing to explore how it can be done, what can be done, how what can be done. It’s just not something under the purview of any specific government. It’s also not something that’s going to be stopped - or slowed - by any international agreement upon anything.

As we all should know, for example, the Chinese models are in some ways better than the US ones at present. Much less energy sucking for example, even if only at 90 to 95% of the output. This all reminds us of something that one of us once based an entire business upon. There are two options in computing. It’s possible to write inefficient code and make up for that with brute computing force. It’s also possible to write delicate and efficient code which requires very much less computing power. Which is better, well, depends upon the scarce resource, programming time or hardware - one should always optimise for the scarce resource, of course. But the same end point is reached all the same.

At which point, that reminder about Canute. He didn’t go and enthrone himself on the shore to demonstrate that he could stem the tides. He did so to show that his courtiers were insane to think that a mere King could do so. The same is true here. Doesn’t matter what any politician, ruler, tries to do that AI will work itself out as AI will work itself out. Trying to prevent it doing so just isn’t going to work in the slightest.

Tim Worstall