On the risks and opportunities of artificial superintelligence — a debate with Daniel Dennett

Recently, our CEO Riccardo Di Molfetta was engaged in a discussion with renowned philosopher and cognitive scientist Dr. Daniel Dennett, as part of a joint interview by the Harvard Kennedy School Policy Review. The conversation focused on the risks and opportunities associated with the development of superintelligent AIs, the challenges of aligning these technologies with human values, and the implications to free will.

Dr. Daniel Dennett’s influential work has explored the intersections of philosophy, cognitive science, and evolutionary biology. As an emeritus professor at Tufts University and co-director of the Center for Cognitive Studies, Dr. Dennett has made significant contributions to the philosophy of mind, arguing for a materialist and functionalist approach to understanding mental states and processes.

Riccardo and Dr. Dennett also addressed the philosophical implications of AI on moral deliberation, the evolutionary similarities between human cognition and current LLMs, and more.

Below are some key takeaways from their conversation. Watch more here.

The risks of advanced AI, safety and deployment, and the limits of current alignment techniques.

Free will and AI, morality, and our evolving relationship with technology.

Personal minds, outsourcing vs amplification, and why machine ethics is hard.