Stephen Wolfram visits RWRI 18 (Summer Workshop) [PRIVATE]

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Workshop organized by the Real World Risk Institute. The workshop is an intense 10-day online program, and the 18th edition took place from July 10-21, 2023.

This video discusses the capabilities and limitations of large language models like GPT, the challenges of setting constraints on AI systems, and the potential risks and consequences of AI decision-making. The video talks about:

  1. The concept of a “stochastic parrot” in language processing and machine learning.
  2. How language processing systems like GPT use data from the web to generate responses.
  3. Attempts to “trick” GPT with questions requiring nuanced understanding.
  4. The simple operation of GPT in predicting the next word in a sequence.
  5. The use of language models as a new interface to computers.
  6. The integration of GPT with Wolfram Alpha for computations and informed responses.
  7. The similarity between writing good prompts for GPT and expository writing.
  8. The training data for GPT, includes nonsense, fiction, and factual information.
  9. The problem of the “self-licking lollipop” in information sources.
  10. The concept of “necessarily human work” requires human choice and input.
  11. The potential for AI to make decisions and the challenges of setting constraints.
  12. A thought experiment called “promptocracy” for AI decision-making.
  13. The actuation layer of AI and the difficulty of setting constraints.
  14. The phenomenon of computational irreducibility and trade-offs in AI computation.
  15. The potential risks of AI decision-making and the need for understanding large language models.

Nassim on CNBC Squawk Box: Crypto is a cult coupled with a financial instrument

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As a scientific advisor for Universa Investments and author of ‘The Black Swan’, Nassim Taleb recently appeared on ‘Squawk Box’ to discuss the current state of the markets and economy. During the interview, he expressed his concerns about a potential bubble looming in the near future. Additionally, he shared his thoughts on the impact of cryptocurrency on the economy. Overall, Taleb provided valuable insights into the current economic landscape and potential risks that investors should be aware of.

Full Interview Link: Available to CNBC Pro Subscribers – Watch CNBC’s full interview with ‘The Black Swan’ author Nassim Taleb

[Twitter] Scott Patterson and Nassim Nicholas Taleb on Chaos Kings, Black Swans and the Precautionary Principle

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On CNBC’s ‘The Exchange’, host Kelly Evans engages in a discussion with Scott Patterson and Nassim Nicholas Taleb on how Wall Street traders made billions by making big bets around major catastrophes.

Bloomberg: Nassim Taleb on Inflation, Global Financial Markets & Bitcoin Isn’t Good for Money Laundering

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In this discussion, Nassim Nicholas Taleb, a renowned scholar and risk analyst, was interviewed by Tom Keene at the Bloomberg Invest New York 2023 event. Taleb discussed a variety of pressing financial matters, including Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies, central bank interest rates, and the future of finance.

Taleb argued that Bitcoin and cryptocurrencies are inefficient for transactions, are losing their appeal to illegal actors, and are vulnerable to be replaced by federal digital currencies. He also warned about the dangerous complacency and misunderstanding of risk in the financial world, citing the unexpected collapse of Swiss banks and the rapid rise in inflation that caught central banks off guard. He argued that central banks should gradually adjust interest rates and should not be seen as the ultimate solution to economic problems. Finally, Taleb discussed the future of finance, predicting higher and more stable interest rates that are more in line with historical norms, and emphasizing the importance of caution in the face of unpredictable market events.

[Bloomberg Podcasts] Nassim Taleb on What Bitcoiners, Anti-Vaxxers, and Deadlift Maxis All Get Wrong

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In this Bloomberg Odd Lots podcast episode, hosts Joe Weisenthal and Tracy Alloway have a wide-ranging conversation with Nassim Taleb, well-known author of Antifragile, The Black Swan, and Fooled by Randomness. Taleb has been engaging in public debates on Twitter with various communities such as Bitcoiners, anti-vaxxers, venture capitalists, and deadlifters. The discussion covers topics such as Taleb’s clash with these communities and what they’re getting wrong about his ideas, as well as his newfound passion for cycling and how to reduce tail risk in one’s own life. Join us for this engaging conversation on finance, economics, and markets.

[YouTube] MINI LECTURE 15 – Conditional vs. unconditional correlation: twin studies overestimate heredity

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The genetics of twin studies have a bias showing more heredity than in reality, owing to a statistical artifact. The twin studies for heredity are based on comparing the correlation between 2 identical twins minus that between 2 fraternal ones (assumed to be sharing half their genes). The use of fraternal twins as control is assumed to extract the “environmental” factors. Problem: Correlation is conditional and psychologists think it is unconditional. We show how the math is entirely different. The core error is that genes and environment are not separable and additive.

[YouTube] Black Swan Author Taleb on Markets, Interest Rates, Bubbles, Investing

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Universa Investments Senior Scientific Advisor Nassim Taleb says the stock market is way too overvalued given current interest rates, and the road back to normal will be “very painful for some.” Taleb spoke exclusively to Bloomberg’s Sonali Basak at an investor day in Miami on Thursday. Earlier, Universa Investments told clients that ballooning debts across the global economy are poised to wreak havoc on markets rivaling the Great Depression.

[Medium] Bitcoin is the Detector of Imbeciles

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On The Cluster of Charlatans, Zero Interest Rate Virgins, & Crypto Tumors
Interview with Laeticia Strauch-Bonart in L’Express (French magazine), translated.

Last year, 2022 was not of much respite for cryptocurrencies. While bitcoin has lost more than 60% of its value, the entire sector is in crisis, punctuated by various bankruptcies such as those of Terra and FTX. The phenomenon is the consequence, according to scholar and former trader Nassim Nicholas Taleb, of the low-interest rate “Disneyland” economy in which we have been living for fifteen years. A “cluster” was formed: Pro-putin, climate and Covid deniers, carnivores, and crypto culties, that Taleb, a former crypto hopeful but a fierce opponent since 2021, has decided to attack head-on.

Continue reading on Medium: medium.com/incerto/bitcoin-is-the-detector-of-imbeciles-e5cc5eeccdbf