David Orban | David Orban

The Broken Periodic Table Analogy: A Disservice To Deep Understanding

July 25, 2024 / Science, Technology

The periodic table of elements is a towering achievement of scientific discovery, and of data representation. Its elegant structure, born from the fundamental properties of atomic structure, has revolutionized our understanding of chemistry and the physical world. However, this very success has led to a problematic contemporary trend: the misapplication of the periodic table format […]

The Broken Periodic Table Analogy: A Disservice To Deep Understanding Read More »

Birthday Gifts of Positivity

July 17, 2024 / Learning, Life

On my birthday, I asked friends and acquaintances to share their good news instead of just wishing me a happy birthday. I collected stories of recent achievements, positive experiences, and acts of kindness they had witnessed or been part of. The result was a diverse collection of uplifting stories that celebrated the positive aspects of

Birthday Gifts of Positivity Read More »

Radical Human Longevity

July 14, 2024 / Health, Policymaking, Science, The Context

If you ask me my age, it is very likely that I will respond with a round number of the decade, not because it will happen that I am 40, 50, or 60 years old, but because it has been my habit to round up and so as of today I will indeed answer that

Radical Human Longevity Read More »

Is This Idea Novel? An AI Based Scoring System

July 6, 2024 / Artificial Intelligence, Technology

I’ve developed a simple approach to numerically score the novelty of ideas, using LLMs. For several years I have been recording my meetings, both internal and external, with the permission of the participants. Lately I have been also passing the meeting transcript through an automated editing step, so that it would read better, with complete

Is This Idea Novel? An AI Based Scoring System Read More »

Shortening Doubling Rates Are The Engine of AGI Progress

July 3, 2024 / General

The most important concept to understand AGI trends, is to realize that the doubling rate of AI compute is shortening. Moore’s law is chugging along at a sedate exponential, doubling every couple of years or so. A self fulfilling prophecy we’ve become accustomed to for over 50 years, bringing us ever more powerful PCs and

Shortening Doubling Rates Are The Engine of AGI Progress Read More »

Humanoid Robots and the Future of Labor

July 3, 2024 / Artificial Intelligence, Policymaking, Robotics, Technology

In the latest episode of Searching for the Question Live, I had the pleasure of hosting Adam Dorr from RethinkX, for a conversation about the impending revolution of humanoid robots and AI. Adam painted a picture of a future where robots could outnumber humans 10 to 1, performing tasks we can’t even imagine yet, being

Humanoid Robots and the Future of Labor Read More »

Our First Interstellar Mission: Breakthrough Starshot

June 25, 2024 / Artificial Intelligence, Searching For The Question Live, Space, Technology

I had the opportunity to speak with Pete Worden, the director of the Breakthrough Initiatives, aiming to leverage cutting edge technology to enable interstellar travel of automated probes, the Starshot project. Pete Worden, the head of the Breakthrough Starshot initiative, has always been fascinated by the idea of interstellar travel. He believes that now is

Our First Interstellar Mission: Breakthrough Starshot Read More »

The Challenges Of Unions Between AI And Humanoid Robots

June 20, 2024 / Artificial Intelligence, Policymaking, Technology

In this live stream, I chat with Enrico Coppotelli of Italian union CISL Lazio, exploring the contemporary challenges that trade unions face in the era of Artificial Intelligence and humanoid robots. We analyze the implications of advanced automation on work, the transformations of the labor market and the new skills required. The conversation also focuses

The Challenges Of Unions Between AI And Humanoid Robots Read More »

Innovation And Tradition: A Role For Peer-to-Peer Communities

June 15, 2024 / Learning, Policymaking, Technology

In a conversation with Diana, she noted that it takes time for innovations to become traditions, through a couple of generations. The first grows up with the innovation, getting used to it, and the second generation is taught by the first to accept it as the norm. The challenge is that in a period of

Innovation And Tradition: A Role For Peer-to-Peer Communities Read More »

21st Century Workers’ Rights

June 12, 2024 / General

I had a conversation with James Hughes, a sociologist and executive director of the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies (IEET) about the impact of advanced technologies such as AI, robotics, and human enhancement on society, politics, and the future of work. We looked into the lessons we could learn from 20th-century worker struggles and

21st Century Workers’ Rights Read More »