AI Alignment Is a Human Problem | Juan Pablo Carbajal | TGC #58

Описание: We train AI to optimize for metrics — but what if the real alignment problem isn't in the machine? Physicist and interdisciplinary researcher Juan Pablo Carbajal makes the case that the AI alignment crisis is really a human one — and we've been failing at it for decades.

🎯 IN THIS EPISODE:
Why the AI alignment problem starts with how humans optimize systems
The limits of purely data-driven AI — and why physics-informed approaches matter
Embodied AI: why intelligence can't be separated from a physical body
What "cheater" bacteria teach us about tolerance vs. punishment in society
A childhood tadpole massacre that sparked a lifelong fascination with systems
How "publish or perish" culture is distorting science — and mirrors AI's flaws
Gestalt psychology and why machines can't see what humans see (yet)
Why the word "robot" means "slave" — and what that tells us about our intentions

Juan Pablo Carbajal is a researcher at the Eastern Switzerland University of Applied Sciences (OST), originally from Argentina. Trained as a physicist with a PhD in Informatics from the University of Zurich, his career spans robotics, biomechanics, agronomy, machine learning, and water science. He chairs Dwengo Helvetica, a nonprofit advancing STEM education, and is driven by a single principle: understanding the dynamical systems that underlie everything.

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 Intro
1:59 Guest Intro & Yerba Mate
6:47 JP's Secret Mate Recipe
11:13 Summarizing JP's passions into a keyword
13:08 The Tadpole Story
17:24 JP's dilemma of what to study and his lifelong mentor
22:57 Versatility of a physicist and the Sokal affair
25:58 Critique of the current education systems
31:23 From physics to magnetic flux leakage detection
36:51 A life lesson on tolerance from bacteria
46:12 Embodied AI, Robotics and Studying Intelligence
54:07 Physics-informed AI
59:21 The challenge with prior knowledge - example from Gestalt Psychology
1:05:08 The Real Alignment Problem
1:22:49 JP's current exciting next steps
1:26:12 Q&A Start
1:26:43 What does innovation mean to you?
1:28:38 Key moment, book, person
1:31:10 Time Management
1:33:32 Favourite childhood memory
1:33:56 Biggest challenge to date
1:35:58 Advice for young professionals
1:36:35 What would you most like

🔗 CONNECT WITH JUAN PABLO:
LinkedIn:   / juan-pablo-carbajal-73b4babb  
OST Profile: https://www.ost.ch/en/person/juan-pab...
Google Scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?...
GitHub: https://github.com/kakila

📖 FULL SHOW NOTES & RESOURCES:
Read the complete episode notes with all references, links, and resources:
https://petermbach.com/index.php/podc...

🎙️ ABOUT THE GRAND CHALLENGERS PODCAST
A show about inspiring individuals who are tackling today's global challenges in out-of-the-box ways and are here to share stories about their own personal journey towards making our world a better place. Hosted by Peter Marcus Bach.
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🌐 Website: https://petermbach.com/podcast
🎵 Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/15UkMWo...
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#AIAlignment #EmbodiedAI #PhysicsInformedAI #ComplexSystems #STEMEducation