Does the thought of malicious HALs keep you up at night? Are you already on a waiting list for AI implants? Are you skeptical of the modern tendency to make things binary to generate false controversies and erase nuance? Our upcoming virtual reading group is perfect for you! We took inspiration from Russ Robert’s EconTalk archives and this crazy, fast-moving technoscape all around us and put together readings and listenings for curious conversationalists.
What to Expect
- 3 distinct sessions: 2 are asynchronous; 1 is on Zoom. Come to one or all!
- Podcasts to listen to (or read transcripts of) paired with short articles
- A knowledgeable and welcoming discussion leader: Dr. Joy Buchanan
- Opening questions, respectful participants, challenging ideas, and maybe new friends
- Special guest Russ Roberts at our final meeting
Meeting Details
Session 1: May 5-9 in the Liberty Fund Portal space
Session 2: May 12-16 in the Liberty Fund Portal space
Session 3: Wednesday, May 21; 2-3:30 pm eastern on Zoom
How to Join
If you are already a member of the Liberty Fund Portal space, you can find details here:
https://libertyfund.circle.so/c/timeless-artificial-intelligence-doom-or-bloom
If you aren’t yet a member, you can follow the prompts to sign up at the above link.
If you have any questions, please contact Christy Lynn Horpedahl at chorpedahl@libertyfund.org
Session Details
Week 1: A Timeless Reading Group: AI Doom
Part I of the series “Artificial Intelligence: Doom or Boom?”
An asynchronous discussion, with an emphasis on possible negative outcomes from AI, such as unemployment, social disengagement, and existential risk. Participants will be invited to suggest special topics for a separate session that will be held on Zoom on May 21, 2025, 2:00-3:30 pm EDT.
- EconTalk: Eliezer Yudkowsky on the Dangers of AI (2023)
- EconTalk: Who’s Afraid of Artificial Intelligence? (2025)
- “Trurl’s Electronic Bard” (1965) by Stanisław Lem.
In this prescient short story, a scientist builds a poetry-writing machine. Sound familiar? (If anyone participated in the Life and Fate reading club with Russ Roberts and Tyler Cowen, there are parallels between Lem’s work and Vasily Grossman’s “Life and Fate” (1959), as both emerged from Eastern European intellectual traditions during the Cold War.)
Week 2: A Timeless Reading Group: AI Boom
Part II of the series “Artificial Intelligence: Doom or Boom?”
An asynchronous discussion, with an emphasis on benefits of AI, including increased economic growth and new discoveries. Participants will be invited to suggest special topics for a separate session that will be held on Zoom on May 21, 2025, 2:00-3:30 pm EDT.
Week 3: AI Common Room
Part III of the series “Artificial Intelligence: Doom or Boom?”
A virtual meeting on Zoom, May 21, 2025, 2:00-3:30 pm eastern, with special topics including teaching.
