Could AI Help Solve Philosophy? (with Wei Dai)

Wei Dai is a computer engineer known for his work in cryptography and cryptocurrency systems, and for his long-standing contributions to AI safety, decision theory, and metaphilosophy. He joined Forethought’s Fin Moorhouse to discuss: Do we need to solve ‘metaphilosophy’ before we can trust AIs to answer crucial questions about the long-run future? Is it inevitable that the wisdom of the frontier AIs (their philosophical and strategic competence) will lag dangerously behind their raw capabilities in coding, math, and science? How do status games distort morally important decisions and conversations, including about the future of AI? How worried should we be about AI superpersuasion? The concept of “illegible problems”: crucially important issues that aren’t on almost anyone’s radar Is philosophical convergence necessary for a good future, or is institutional design enough? Wei Dai’s personal intellectual and career journey To respect Wei’s privacy, this episode’s audio is an AI narration of a transcript of a real conversation, which was edited for clarity. You can read a full transcript here. To see all Forethought's published research, visit forethought.org/research. To subscribe to our newsletter, visit forethought.org/subscribe.