AGI isn't for happy people - by Stefan Kelly

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Anatomically modern homo sapiens emerged around 200,000 years ago. As far as we know, complex human behaviour began around 10,000 years ago. We’re talking tools, language, the beginning of civilisation. Which has worked out well, we’ve got a lot done. But the obvious weird thing is that with the very same biological and cognitive capacities we have today, we did essentially nothing for over 190,000 years. The vast, vast, vast majority of human history … is empty. This is the Sapient Paradox i.e. ‘why the hell did it take us so long for us to do anything?’ Vague popular answers: We needed to hit a critical mass of people first A genetic change we don’t know about Language grew enough to enable cultural transmission These never feel satisfying because they are obviously so undefinable, and just generate the why 190,000 years question again. I’m much more compelled by the story Erik Hoel told in The Gossip Trap a couple of years ago: A 'gossip trap' is when your whole world doesn't exceed

warning: borderline chronically online Anatomically modern homo sapiens emerged around 200,000 years ago. As far as we know, complex human behaviour began around 10,000 years ago. We’re talking tools, language, the beginning of civilisation. Which has worked out well, we’ve got a lot done. But the obvious weird thing is that with the very same biological and cognitive capacities we have today, we did essentially nothing for over 190,000 years. The vast, vast, vast majority of human history … is empty. This is the Sapient Paradox i.e. ‘why the hell did it take us so long for us to do…

AGI isn't for happy people - by Stefan Kelly

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