AI: Yann LeCun's common sense take on AI thus far. AI-RTZ #1077

Sometimes it’s worth hearing common sense words at a time of globally anxiety driving hype from someone whose peers are spreading said doomer hype. Sometimes the better answers are in the middle.

I’ve written about the common sense AND candid words by AI Guru and uber-researcher Yann LeCun in these pages. Yes, he of former Meta AI Chief Scientist fame.

At a time in this AI Tech Wave when mainstream fears, especially amongst young folks are running high against AI, it’s useful to hear some words that tamp them down. In practical terms.

Thus Axios’s “AI godfather Yann LeCun’s blunt advice for the AI age”, is timely indeed:

“If AI doomerism is freaking you out, consider the advice of Yann LeCun, former Meta AI chief and a scientist with over 40 years of experience in the field.”

“Why it matters: As CEOs warn of job loss and existential risk, Turing Award-winning LeCun argues the real danger is making life-altering decisions based on exaggerated claims about the future of the technology.”

A voice of striking common sense in a sea of over-wrought AI fears, especially amongst AI Researchers.

“The big picture: The leading AI scientist warns that doom narratives are already harming teens’ mental health, calling extinction fears “extremely destructive” — and wrong.”

• “A small proportion of high school students are actually kind of depressed because they’ve read that AI is not only going to take a job, but basically cause human extinction,” he said. “They take that seriously and it has a profound effect on their psychology.”

“No, AI won’t eliminate 20% of jobs, and yes, you still need to go to college, LeCun argues. Here’s more advice from LeCun, executive chairman of AMI Labs:”

I particularly like his first one. Looking at you Dario, Sam, and Elon. Especially as you all go on and on about AGI.

1. “Don’t listen to CEOs”

• “It can be hard to keep up with the AI race when CEOs of the frontier labs keep saying each model is more powerful and potentially world-ending than the last. LeCun tells Axios: Ignore them.”

• “Don’t listen to CEOs … they have a vested interest in propping up the power of the products they sell,” he says, adding that AI CEOs are also not the ones to listen to about the impact of AI on labor. That’s a job for economists.”

• “AI tools are powerful, but “still not very good at reasoning,” and “there is a long history … of researchers in AI having a widely optimistic view of when machines will become more intelligent than humans … this is not going to take us to human-level AI for quite a while.”

• “LeCun’s view is reflected in his work as executive chairman of AMI Labs, where he’s building AI systems aimed at overcoming the reasoning limits he sees in today’s models.”

And about that need not to go to school anymore…

“2. Go to college”

• “Sorry, kids. LeCun has spoken, and says you still need to go to college. He argues there’s more value in advanced degrees because AI will increase demand for more educated, critical thinkers.”

• “Study things with a long shelf life,” he said, which is, of course, hard to parse. He recommends majoring in physics or electrical engineering.”

No, AI won’t make the jobs so away in total, as has been feared about AI from the beginning…quite the opposite in fact.

Do read about Jevons paradox for some backup reassurance if needed.

“3. Jobs won’t disappear”

• “The idea that AI will erase 20% of jobs is “ridiculously stupid,” LeCun says, adding some roles will disappear but new ones will emerge, as in past tech shifts.”

• “One reason LeCun is convinced that AI won’t lead to mass unemployment is that historically it takes new technologies 15 years to achieve their promise in productivity gains.”

• “Meanwhile, AI agents will be able to help everyone with their jobs.”

And then there’s the bit about what I’ve been going on about AI for a while. How it’ll actually augment, align and amplify us all more than currently imagined.

“Zoom in: “Everyone is going to be a boss,” he said, but a new kind of boss.”

• “You’ll manage agents instead of people, meaning it will be more important to have a sense of strategy and direction.”

• “Skills in managing humans won’t be as necessary, “if your staff is a bunch of AI systems.”

“Yes, but: AI may compress skill gaps: Entry-level workers improve more, while top performers see smaller gains.”

Then he brings in for the close…deep breath…AI against other tech waves and flywheels of the past.

“Zoom out: LeCun argues this AI wave is not fundamentally different from past tech revolutions.”

• “There is nothing qualitatively different between the previous technological revolutions and this one,” he said. “It’s just another set of tools that makes us more efficient.”

It’s good to see Yann LeCun getting some recognition for this role in AI thus far, and going forwrard. Especially relative to his peers who have been somewhat more in the AI gloom and doom camp.

“LeCun will be honored as one of AI’s “godfathers” at Liberty Science Center’s annual Genius Gala.”

• “In our society, we don’t make heroes of scientists as much as we make heroes out of pop culture figures and musicians and athletes,” Paul Hoffman, the center’s CEO, tells Axios.”

• “So part of our event is to really recognize scientists that are doing brilliant things that could help improve our world,” he said.”

“The bottom line: Maybe the truth in the AI doom and hype cycle lies somewhere in the middle.”

Somewhere in the middle indeed. Time for a quick listen to that song at this point of this presentation.

Hopefully resets the mood on this AI thing for now in this AI Tech Wave.

Thanks Yann. Needed this today. Stay tuned.

(NOTE: The discussions here are for information purposes only, and not meant as investment advice at any time. Thanks for joining us here)