Vinay Kumaran

When we think about artificial intelligence we think in terms of something that can think like a human but better. Science fiction movies like the Terminator series have raised concerns about what such an AI would want. Elon Musk and Stephen Hawking, among others, have raised concerns about humanity becoming irrelevant once it is surpassed in intelligence and innovation by its own creations. It has been suggested that the first artificial intelligence smarter than a human being will be the last thing invented by humans. I have no doubt, there will eventually be computers which can think like humans, learn and innovate but let's look at things which are likely to happen in a shorter span of time. Self Driving Cars: this is something which is already nearly ready for introduction into society. The major problem with self driving cars is having to account for erratic, rule-breaking human drivers on the roads. Once more and more cars become self-driving, the safety factor can be enh...

As I watched the news today, looking at footage of 44 ill-educated people who had been sequestered at a resort to prevent them from being bought and persuaded to support another party, as I noted that an emotionally labile, narcissistic bigot with an ill-informed disrespect for science wants to promote coal mining on protected lands, it seems clear that democracy is not working. In theory, democracy seems like the best form of government we have tried so far. Certainly it is better than being subject to the despotic notions of a dictator or a monarch. However, the only aspect of democracy which seems to be working is the ability to remove from power a particularly disastrous government. Ideally, we would elect competent people who are honest and have a good working knowledge of economics, politics and history. Unfortunately, it is clear that what wins elections is not the ability to lead but the ability to fool people. It seems increasingly incidental that leaders like Nehru, Ob...