Building Better Before Moving Forward

If you’re listening to this podcast, you've officially run out of things to do with your life.

Now we’ve got your attention, here’s the first of two listener questions, your co-hosts Stuart ‘The Wildman’ Mabbutt, whose known for his willingness to challenge mainstream perspectives, and William Mankelow who always tries to anchor the discussion with thoughtful reflections, that blend aesthetics with reality. But most of the time, they are both trying their best not to swear.

The first question then comes from Rithipol in Phnom Penh, Cambodia - “When you look back, those creatures considered most intelligent, dominated less intelligent species, and maybe even contributed to their demise and extinctions. Considering this against the upsurge in AI, if we are considering inventing something that could in some ways be more intelligent than ourselves, are we signing our own death warrant?” 

From Rithipol’s inquiry, Stuart focuses on questioning fundamental assumptions about AI and intelligence. He challenges whether AI is truly "new" by drawing parallels to genetically modified crops, which had been around for decades before public awareness peaked. He questions the consistency of arguments about intelligence - if humans claim to be the only intelligent species, then other animals causing extinctions can't be attributed with intelligence, but if other species are intelligent, then humans aren't unique.

William takes a balanced perspective on AI as being a transformative but double-edged technology. He acknowledges that fear around AI stems from it being new and unknown, while recognizing its potential as one of the most important developments in human history that will inevitably be used for both good and bad purposes.

The second question is from Fred in St Just, Cornwall, England - “Stuart you say we should do one thing well before moving on to the next. That would be a good thing to do during the ongoing process of human evolution don’t you think? Or would it have held us back with hidden consequences? I’d add to your statement Stuart - we should be the best at the stuff that needs no talent, and build from there".

Here’s what Stuart made of this question that was directed at him.

Stuart believes in doing one thing well before moving to the next, viewing this as essential for avoiding the common mistake of spreading ourselves too thinly across multiple areas. However, he makes an important distinction between individual and collective action - while individuals should focus on mastering one thing at a time, as a species we need to pursue multiple endeavors simultaneously because this diversity drives evolution and progress.

What do you make of this discussion? Do you have a question that you'd like us to discuss? Let us know by sending an email to ⁠[e-mail]

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