A teaser for Beast Country - a brand new folk horror audio fiction series created by Ewan Cameron Search Beast Country on your podcast app orListen to all episodes now at Bandcamp: https://ewancameron.bandcamp.com/album/beast-countryDi Randomly Generated Thought

We should be spending less time proving today’s AIs are safe and more time figuring out how to tell if tomorrow’s AIs are dangerous: planned-obsolescence.org/dangerous-capability-tests-should-be-harderDi Ajeya Cotra, Kelsey Piper

This pilot episode introduces the fundamentals of cryptocurrency and blockchain technology. By the end, viewers will understand the core concepts of blockchain and cryptocurrency, know how to start investing, and have resources for further research into the space.Di Akinyemi Bajulaiye

This pilot episode introduces the fundamentals of cryptocurrency and blockchain technology. By the end, viewers will understand the core concepts of blockchain and cryptocurrency, know how to start investing, and have resources for further research into the space.Di Akinyemi Bajulaiye

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, we cover the year 1952 and all it entails, including: Five Theremin John, forward-facing flutes, crab-walk warfare, Hollywood’s Bronze Era, my horse’s bucket’s bucket, running a little short on tritium, sandy ringworm, and the Age of Swedish Dressage Supremacy. Topics Discussed: John Cage’s 4’33”, the Hydrogen Bomb, and Egypt’s Bla…

In this very special Christmas Episode the team get together to learn things about Christmas! We'll be back to our regularly scheduled progrmaming in the new year! Topics Discussed: All things Christmas! Find us: Patreon: patreon.com/randomlyhistory Instagram: @RandomlyHistory Twitter: @RandomlyHistory Website: randomlygeneratedhistory.com Or find …

In this episode, we cover the year 1664 and all it entails, including: Tormenting teen girls, Earthbound concepts of physics, the biggest pickle of all, a cheeseboard of empires, curiously quiet badgers, Steamboat Mickey, nosey babies, and Gone With the Wind 2: The Breezening. Topics Discussed: The Great Red Spot, the Battle of Saint Gotthard, and …

In this episode, we cover the year 800 and all it entails, including: Irish Nines, Iconophiles for Prince, Sylvan Fox Hunt, Charles Pepinson, Carl the Multi-Fingered, the icons under my pillow, the Winchester Swithies, and 600 Maliciously Broken Eggs. Topics Discussed: Irene of Athens, Charlemagne, and Saint Swithun. Find us: Patreon: patreon.com/r…

In this episode, we cover the year 1743 and all it entails, including: The War of the Soggy Socks, American Zeus, Vikings stealing all the hot people, wolf-proof graves, air baths, The Great Swan Ball, deep-fried Mars Bars and haddock, weak cotton boys, and the Dark Wizard Woldemar. Topics Discussed: Benjamin Franklin, the Russo-Swedish War, and th…

In this episode, we cover the year 1989 and all it entails, including: Bad ends for helicopter priests, the average of AC/DC and Meatloaf, fashion-forward aliens, biolocation techniques, the Hamburg Bousquettes, Maximum Leader, a guy who died in Swindon, and the Boy Mayor of St. Petersburg. Topics Discussed: The US Invasion of Panama, the Voronezh …

In this episode, we cover the year 1841 and all it entails, including: Peter Coupon, clean ledgers, quick-release cravats, the pungent smell of rat poison, the finest bird guy, Dr Phillip Buster, exotic travels through the midlands, the most benecked of birds, and absolutely no beef. Topics Discussed: The Invention of the Filibuster, Thomas Cook, a…

This startlingly fast progress in LLMs was driven both by scaling up LLMs and doing schlep to make usable systems out of them. We think scale and schlep will both improve rapidly: planned-obsolescence.org/scale-schlep-and-systemsDi Ajeya Cotra, Kelsey Piper

My parents met at a party in 1984. It was another couple's 'Disengagement Party'. I've always thought this was quite an odd way to meet. So here's how it happened.Di Randomly Generated Thought

Welcome to Season 2! In this episode, we cover the year 32 BCE and all it entails, including: Big Blimp Day, the first test tube baby (Jesus), a good fish knife, whether or not Bukayo Saka is a Magical Iranian Nomad, Mesoamerican Planning Permission, Finnegan O’Shaka, and pleasing piles. Topic Discussed: Cleopatra, the Saka People, and the Mayans. …

Most experts were surprised by progress in language models in 2022 and 2023. There may be more surprises ahead, so experts should register their forecasts now about 2024 and 2025: https://planned-obsolescence.org/language-models-surprised-usDi Ajeya Cotra, Kelsey Piper

In this episode, we cover the year 1328 and all it entails, including: The Gabagool Dynasty, Arsenio II of France, Archibald the Grim, Yes Anding all Over the Place, the World’s First Academy Award, the Murder Limit, Milking the Well, Isabella Fuhgeddaboudit, and a She-Wolf in the Castle. Topic Discussed: Charles the Fair, Mansa Musa, and Archibald…

In this episode, we cover the year 1712 and all it entails, including: The Other Ludwig von Beethoven, transitioning to evil, unburied treasure and powdered wig shenanigans. Topics Discussed: Beethoven's Grandfather, Blackbeard the Pirate and Sir Richard Steele. Support us on Patreon: patreon.com/randomlyhistory Find us: Instagram: @RandomlyHistory…

In this episode, we’re joined by special guest Paul Bavill from the podcast History Rage! We cover the year 1942 and all it entails, including: Mary Peppercorn, torches of freedom, shit pigeons, Jamon Radio, a litre of Glaswegian wine, skybreaking achievements, and torpedo segues. Topics Discussed: Hedy Lamarr and George Antheil, Casablanca and Pro…

In this episode, we cover the year 1995 and all it entails, including: prank calling the Queen, the Rugby Messiah, untouchable charisma bombs, the looming Red Menace, confusingly worded ballot initiatives, buying the Beanie Dip, and a soupçon of ethnic nationalism. Topics Discussed: The Quebec Referendum, professionalising rugby, and Beanie Babies.…

In this episode, we cover the year 1187 and all it entails, including: the first person to wear Crocs, tardy scarpering, yeasty knights, Taira Banks, the Chrysanthemum Cradle, dope sword quests, the Mongols of Tewkesbury, the uses of an untrained child, and Edward Norton’s Method Leprosy. Topics Discussed: Balian of Ibelin, the Delhi Sultanate, and…

An audio essay about art and stag dos.Di Randomly Generated Thought

In this episode, we cover the year 1519 and all it entails, including: Nando Mags, courtly boys, boat-related astronomy, 16th century pogs, fungus acid trips, Sheeple Disease, the Greatest Dane, Tutburgian accents, the Great Flamborough Gathering, and the Patron Saint of Oversleeping. Topics Discussed: Ferdinand Magellan, the Dancing Plague of 1518…

Most new technologies don’t accelerate the pace of economic growth. But advanced AI might do this by massively increasing the research effort going into developing new technologies.Di Ajeya Cotra, Kelsey Piper

In this episode, we cover the year 777 and all it entails, including: Boss Orcs, overly strict zoning ordinances, Turnipdown Hill, urban learning, historic Geralds, the Father of Small Change, Charlemagne the Time Traveler, and a truly unhinged AntRant™. Topics Discussed: Al-Mansur and the Founding of Baghdad, Hildegard of the Vinzgau, and the Esta…

In this episode, we cover the year 1977 and all it entails, including: Unlicensed foot weirdos, the British Solar System, Pseudo-Elmos, Doc NOS, Lambert Dolphin's microwave, spelunking the gaping hole, nine-point-purge, the pilot who drew the short straw, and snakestronauts. Topics Discussed: The New York City Blackout, the Treasure of Victorio Pea…

For the second week in a row, we've had a bit of a whoopsie: the audio for the 1977 episode didn't record properly, so -- with the consent of the RNG -- we've entered a time vortex and are releasing the next episode, which is the year 1686. To be fair, we never claimed to know what we were doing... In this episode, we cover the year 1686 and all it…

In this episode, we cover... nothing, really! With apologies for the short notice, we're actually taking this week off. It's entirely Will's fault, so please direct your angry letters to him. Ant and Anna did hop on a quick call (don't worry, Anna is not trapped at the bottom of a well, it just sounds like it) to share a few 1977 nuggets to tide yo…

Both AI fears and AI hopes rest on the belief that it may be possible to build alien minds that can do everything we can do and much more. AI-driven technological progress could save countless lives and make everyone massively healthier and wealthier: https://planned-obsolescence.org/the-costs-of-caution…

In this episode, we cover the year 10 BCE and all it entails, including: Fecund geniuses, pretty up-there rivers, two rifles and a Big Mac, paxfulness, Catch-XXII, the Oaky-Oaky Armour Walk, brother-horses, pre-geography, and the last days of disco in Rome. Topics Discussed: Drusus, Herod Agrippa, and Strabo. Find us: Patreon: patreon.com/randomlyh…

In this episode, we cover the year 1430 and all it entails, including: Indiana Jones and the Treasure of the City of Ladies, Charles the Princely Dolphin, at least 23 Erics, unbuckled swashes, the Astrologer Royal, slightly uneven paving slabs, and John the In-Retrospect-Not-Quite-Fearful-Enough. Topics Discussed: Philip the Good, Eric of Pomerania…

Once a lab trains AI that can fully replace its human employees, it will be able to multiply its workforce 100,000x. If these AIs do AI research, they could develop vastly superhuman systems in under a year: https://planned-obsolescence.org/continuous-doesnt-mean-slowDi Ajeya Cotra, Kelsey Piper

In this episode, we cover the year 1917 and all it entails, including: Smelting It, the Hackysack River, Tropical Frenzy, 17.5 Blorkbucks, octuple bluffing, Ant’s Exotic Dance Career, Comic Sans tramp stamps, America’s nerdiest president, and Aliens United for a Common Cause. Topics Discussed: The Kingsland Explosion, Mata Hari, and the Pancho Vill…

Researchers could potentially design the next generation of ML models more quickly by delegating some work to existing models, creating a feedback loop of ever-accelerating progress. https://planned-obsolescence.org/ais-accelerating-ai-researchDi Ajeya Cotra, Kelsey Piper

In this episode, we cover the year 1102 and all it entails, including: The Wetland of the Thing, mediaeval jukeboxes, primitive dank memes, a tactically acumenical horse, chamber pot escalations, Baldwin the Lycra King, the Beard of Damocles, and a dry season for Ant’s Sword. Topics Discussed: El Cid, Robert Curthose, and the Battle of Ramla. Find …

The single most important thing we can do is to pause when the next model we train would be powerful enough to obsolete humans entirely. If it were up to me, I would slow down AI development starting now — and then later slow down even more: https://www.planned-obsolescence.org/is-it-time-for-a-pause/…

In this episode, we cover the year 937 and all it entails, including: the Core of Pilates, hammers leavings, Rudolph’s Burgundy nose, coup-ing at a wedding, bagratoni with shallots, a prominent family of Aristocats, going to Liverpool for the Darts, and Welf the Decapitator of Germans. Topics Discussed: The Battle of Brunanburh, Hugh of Arles & Rud…

If we’ve decided we’re collectively fine with unleashing millions of spam bots, then the least we can do is actually study what they can – and can’t – do: https://www.planned-obsolescence.org/ethics-of-red-teaming/Di Ajeya Cotra

Many fellow alignment researchers may be operating under radically different assumptions from you: https://www.planned-obsolescence.org/disagreement-in-alignment/Di Ajeya Cotra

If we can accurately recognize good performance on alignment, we could elicit lots of useful alignment work from our models, even if they're playing the training game: https://www.planned-obsolescence.org/training-ais-to-help-us-align-ais/Di Ajeya Cotra

We're creating incentives for AI systems to make their behavior look as desirable as possible, while intentionally disregarding human intent when that conflicts with maximizing reward: https://www.planned-obsolescence.org/the-training-game/Di Ajeya Cotra

AI systems that have a precise understanding of how they’ll be evaluated and what behavior we want them to display will earn more reward than AI systems that don’t: https://www.planned-obsolescence.org/situational-awareness/Di Ajeya Cotra

Perfect alignment just means that AI systems won’t want to deliberately disregard their designers' intent; it's not enough to ensure AI is good for the world: https://www.planned-obsolescence.org/aligned-vs-good/Di Ajeya Cotra

We’re trying to think ahead to a possible future in which AI is making all the most important decisions: https://www.planned-obsolescence.org/what-were-doing-here/Di Ajeya Cotra

In this episode, we cover the year 61 and all it entails, including: Recordius Maximus, drugged-up mystics, inefficient executions, scapula tattoos, Morgan Freedman, Bootlandia, druid apprenticeships, and Anna’s inexplicable hatred of Norfolk. Topics Discussed: Nero and Poppaea, the Druids of Mona, and Boudica. Find us: Patreon: patreon.com/randoml…

In this episode, we cover the year 1505 and all it entails, including: Oxbow lakes in the cosmos, the Noble Guilds of Picklers and Pimps, ship chandling, Daddy issue Scots, the Great Clockman Procession, the Chief’s Hello Kitty Backpack, and Clan Cameron Diaz. Topics Discussed: Amerigo Vespucci, the Battle of Achnashellach, and Watch 1505. Find us:…

In this episode, we cover the year 1393 and all it entails, including: Ye Olde Tescoe Expresse, pie fingers, hechegasms, getting got by God, the uncle of English canoeing, the Iagos of the Court, and Saucy Chaucy. Topics Discussed: Geoffrey Chaucer, the Siege of Tarnovo, and the Bal des Ardents. Find us: Patreon: patreon.com/randomlyhistory Instagr…

In this episode, we cover the year 1632 and all it entails, including: Jasper the Elephant, Pure British Mud, clog-on-clog action, sushi in a brothel, the Clinkettes, detuskment, Galileo’s Diss Tracks, and a very famous building indeed. Topics Discussed: The Holland’s Leaguer, Galileo, and the Taj Mahal. Find us: Patreon: patreon.com/randomlyhistor…

In this episode, we cover the year 1881 and all it entails, including: Moustache exclusion, Billy the Adult, Lord Grantham’s War Record, Officer Squirrels, hoity-toity tight-arse Brits, the Naughty Kids Gang, Winfield the Alligator, and assful chaps. Topics Discussed: The assassination of James A. Garfield, the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral, and the …

In this episode, we cover the year 910 BCE and all it entails, including: Battle thespians, idols in a trenchcoat, a lack of Damons, the concept of Zero Popcorn, weird moth people, the Regular Testament, and ritualistic beef-eating. Topics Discussed: The founding of Sparta, King Omri, and the Olmecs. Find us: Patreon: patreon.com/randomlyhistory In…