Nathan Labenz and Noah Smith on What AI Actually Means for the Economy

This week on Upstream, Erik is joined by Nathan Labenz and Noah Smith for a deep dive on how AI will impact job markets, the social contract, and the role of the government. Access global engineering without the headache and at a fraction of the cost: head to choosesquad.com and mention “Turpentine” to skip the waitlist.
--
SPONSORS: SQUAD | BRAVE
Squad:💥 Access global engineering without the headache and at a fraction of the cost: head to choosesquad.com and mention “Turpentine” to skip the waitlist.
Brave: Get first-party targeting with Brave’s private ad platform: cookieless and future proof ad formats for all your business needs. Performance meets privacy. Head to brave.com/brave-ads/ and mention “MoZ” when signing up for a 25% discount on your first campaign.
--
RELATED SHOW: 10x Capital Podcast
Check out our show The 10x Capital Podcast with David Weisburd, where David talks to the investors behind the investors: 10xcapitalpodcast.com/
--
TIMESTAMPS:
(00:00) Intro
(00:50) AI and the Future of Employment
(03:57) The Intersection of AI, Robotics, and Biotech
(05:00) Economic Disruption
(06:40) Future of Jobs in an AI-Dominated World
(08:27) AI's Impact on Economy
(10:34) Pessimism Surrounding AI's Economic Impact
(12:17) Comparative Advantage in the AI Era
(13:50) AI Replacing Human Jobs
(19:03) Sponsor: Squad | Brave
(21:24) New Social Contract in the AI Era
(34:38) Human Wages in an AI-Dominated Economy
(39:36) Impact of AI on Job Market
(41:45) Fear of AI Taking Over Human Jobs
(47:51) Role of Government in AI Development
(50:09) Potential Risks and Benefits of AI
(53:15) Future of AI and Its Social Impact
(58:38) Fear of Totalitarian States and AI
(01:03:13) The Need for a Positive Vision for AI
(01:11:03) Wrap up
--
X / TWITTER:
/ noahsmith (Noah)
/ labenz (Nathan)
/ eriktorenberg (Erik)
/ upstream__pod (Upstream)
/ turpentinemedia (Turpentine)
--
For guest or sponsorship inquiries please contact [e-mail]
Music license:
OYOCYNQ0XUH22PB8

[@angloland4539]

❤

[@user-ss3ie5jq2r]

A potential issue with Noah's invocation of comparative advantage is that the aggregate resource constraints of AI inference might be so lax as to be effectively infinite - that is, enough to be economically transformational even without the use of relatively less costly human labor. We'd simply be so wealthy that humans needn't bother adding any more value.

[@tuckerbugeater]

You're being used for their vision. You're already mostly irrelevant. You're just a tech serf.