Maintaining Human Intelligence in the AI Era | David Krakauer (President of the Santa Fe Institute)

Описание: David Krakauer is a leading complex systems researcher and the president of the Santa Fe Institute, a unique institution dedicated to studying complex systems across disciplines. In this episode, David challenges conventional wisdom about AI, arguing that large language models pose a more immediate threat to humanity than commonly discussed existential risks—not by destroying us directly, but by eroding our cognitive capabilities through addictive, low-quality information.

We explore:
• Why David believes LLMs aren't intelligent at all and how the AI community misunderstands emergence
• The three dimensions of intelligence: inference, representation, and strategy—and which one LLMs lack
• How AI acts as a "competitive" rather than "complementary" cognitive technology, atrophying our thinking abilities
• What makes great minds unique, from analogical reasoning to the cultivation of unconscious creativity
• How Cormac McCarthy's approach to knowledge and creativity offers lessons for the AI age
• Why David believes the greatest threat from AI isn't existential risk but cognitive atrophy
• How to protect your mind against AI's addictive pull and maintain cognitive autonomy

Thank you to the partners who make this possible
Brex: The banking solution for startups: https://www.brex.com/mario
Enterpret: Transform feedback chaos into actionable customer intelligence: https://www.enterpret.com/mario
Persona: Trusted identity verification for any use case: https://withpersona.com/generalist

Transcript: https://www.generalist.com/p/maintain...

Timestamps
(00:00) Intro
(04:39) The Santa Fe Institute’s approach to complex systems
(06:45) Murray Gell-Mann’s ‘Odysseus vs. Apollonian’
(10:35) How SFI was shaped by the legacy of Los Alamos
(12:45) Traits David looks for in great minds
(14:43) Cormac McCarthy on naivety and how thoughtful people treat knowledge
(19:24) A simple explanation of complexity science
(22:50) Why vantage point doesn’t matter when studying systems
(24:36) Aesthetic preferences among complexity scientists
(26:07) Films and directors with complexity science themes
(29:57) Why David argues LLMs are not intelligent
(32:10) What’s missing in the study of LLMs
(36:40) The three qualities of intelligence and how LLMs measure up
(42:19) Lessons from "The Glass Bead Game"
(44:00) David’s perspective on reinforcement learning
(45:38) The greatest threat of LLMs: overreliance and the decline of thinking
(47:40) Competitive vs. complementary cognitive artifacts
(51:55) Why exposing yourself to quality ideas matters
(54:00) How to derisk LLM use
(58:32) Cormac McCarthy’s legacy at SFI and beyond
(1:02:40) The Kekulé Problem: cultivating the unconscious
(1:05:01) Why David and McCarthy were inspired by Wittgenstein
(1:09:00) What Cormac McCarthy liked to talk about
(1:12:20) David’s questions to a higher being
(1:14:46) Final meditations

Follow David Krakauer
Website: https://davidckrakauer.com/

Resources and episode mentions
—Books—
• “The Hedgehog and the Fox”: https://www.amazon.com/Hedgehog-Fox-T...
• The Birds and The Frogs: https://www.amazon.com/Aristophanes-F...
• The Glass Bead Game: https://www.amazon.com/Glass-Bead-Gam...
• Frankenstein: https://www.amazon.com/Frankenstein-M...
• Blood Meridian: Or the Evening Redness in the West: https://www.amazon.com/Blood-Meridian...
• Stella Maris: https://www.amazon.com/Stella-Maris-C...
• The Passenger: https://www.amazon.com/Passenger-Corm...
• Pale Fire: https://www.amazon.com/Pale-Fire-Vlad...
• Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus: https://www.amazon.com/Tractatus-Logi...
• Ludwig Wittgenstein: The Duty of Genius: https://www.amazon.com/Ludwig-Wittgen...
• Ellmann's Joyce: The Biography of a Masterpiece and Its Maker: https://www.amazon.com/Ellmanns-Joyce...
• Moby Dick: https://www.amazon.com/Moby-Dick-Herm...
• Hyperobjects: Philosophy and Ecology after the End of the World: https://www.amazon.com/Hyperobjects-P...
• The Anatomy of Melancholy: https://www.amazon.com/Anatomy-Melanc...
• The Golden Bough: A Study of Magic and Religion: Volume I: https://www.amazon.com/Golden-Bough-V...
• Three Critiques: https://www.amazon.com/Three-Critique...
...Episode resources continued at: https://www.generalist.com/p/maintain...

Production and marketing by penname.co.
For inquiries about sponsoring the podcast, email [email protected].