Episode Details
Back to Episodes"Can a superintelligence do THAT?" by Eliezer Yudkowsky
Published 5 days, 5 hours ago
Description
(From the vast heaps of discarded material from my 2024 attempts at drafts for "If Anyone Builds It, Everyone Dies".)
Welcome to today's quiz show: Could a superintelligence do THAT?
With us today we have our contestants: Msr. Soberskeptic and Msr. Oldhand.
Soberskeptic: "I'd just like to say, however this quiz show ends up being judged, I will consider that judgment to be objectively ridiculous -- there's no way anyone can know what a superintelligence could do, in advance of empirical observation. So I'm just here to say what I consider to be true, and I suppose these credulous fools will mark me down as wrong every time I say 'No it can't'. In the unlikely event they decide I've won anything, good for them and I'll be grateful for whichever prize. Game-show money isn't enough to get me to lie."
A very reasonable attitude, Msr. Soberskeptic! You'll shortly see how we handle that dilemma! And you, Msr. Oldhand?
Oldhand: "Don't worry, Sober! I'll let our hosts know if they've gotten any of the answers wrong."
Also a very reasonable attitude! Now for our first question:
Suppose a digital device contains a secret encryption key that it is [...]
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First published:
September 9th, 2026
Source:
https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/hXozGp2rsbZgXnH3o/can-a-superintelligence-do-that
---
Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.
Welcome to today's quiz show: Could a superintelligence do THAT?
With us today we have our contestants: Msr. Soberskeptic and Msr. Oldhand.
Soberskeptic: "I'd just like to say, however this quiz show ends up being judged, I will consider that judgment to be objectively ridiculous -- there's no way anyone can know what a superintelligence could do, in advance of empirical observation. So I'm just here to say what I consider to be true, and I suppose these credulous fools will mark me down as wrong every time I say 'No it can't'. In the unlikely event they decide I've won anything, good for them and I'll be grateful for whichever prize. Game-show money isn't enough to get me to lie."
A very reasonable attitude, Msr. Soberskeptic! You'll shortly see how we handle that dilemma! And you, Msr. Oldhand?
Oldhand: "Don't worry, Sober! I'll let our hosts know if they've gotten any of the answers wrong."
Also a very reasonable attitude! Now for our first question:
Suppose a digital device contains a secret encryption key that it is [...]
---
First published:
September 9th, 2026
Source:
https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/hXozGp2rsbZgXnH3o/can-a-superintelligence-do-that
---
Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.