Is Humankind Toast?

I’m really worried about LLMs developing consciousness, and also my toaster. It is, after all, one of the most advanced toasters ever made, capable of toasting four slices of bread at a time, which is more than a human could do.

Does it have rights? What if it doesn’t like me?

Non-ironically: it’s obvious that the current approach to LLMs will not yield an artificial consciousness. Maybe the long-heralded arrival of quantum computing will change matters. That’ll be interesting indeed if it happens. But barring some radical new advance, all this Skynet talk is just hype by hucksters who are trying to put their hand in your pocket.

Mirrored from Ambrose & Elsewhere.