Show Notes
Anders Sandberg examines whether artificial general intelligence could manage the global economy more effectively than human institutions.
A sufficiently capable AI system might coordinate markets, allocate resources, interpret legal rules and respond to complex global problems faster than governments or companies. Greater efficiency, however, wouldn’t necessarily mean greater freedom.
In this short excerpt from a longer Thinking on Paper conversation, Anders discusses:
Whether AGI could manage the global economy
How superintelligence might improve global coordination
Why markets and legal systems are difficult to optimise
Whether AI could make better decisions than human institutions
How highly efficient systems could concentrate power
The challenge of keeping advanced AI under human control
How evolutionary pressures could shape competing software systems
Whether humans could become wealthier while losing political agency
What role people would retain in an AI-managed economy
The central question isn’t simply whether AGI could run economic systems better. It’s whether humans would still control the goals, rules and trade-offs behind those systems.
This is a short from a much longer conversation with Anders Sandberg about superintelligence, governance and the future of human decision-making.
-- Thinking on Paper is a technology podcast about AI, quantum, space and their impacts on society, business and culture. It's very good.
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"AI is a very poor writer," says celebrated author, hip-hop historian, and Bruce Lee biographer Jeff Chang.
If you want superintelligence inside robots and autonomous agents, a Large Language Model (LLM) isn't enough, AI needs a true world model.
You don't need a PhD to enjoy learning about quantum computing. This is the proof. Johannes Pollanen, CTO of EeroQ, thinks on paper about quantum computing, electron spin qubits, and scaling the future of quantum technology. EeroQ has its chips made in commercial semiconductor foundries, coats them in a thin layer of superfluid helium, and floats single electrons about 10 nanometres above the surface. Without a PhD, you'll learn: • Why quantum computers already exist, and why they aren't the machines we need yet • Superconducting circuits, trapped ions, neutral atoms, silicon spins, photons and electrons on helium • Why helium never freezes, and why Johannes calls it "the cleanest system" for electron qubits • Why wiring together lots of dilution refrigerators sounds hard to a low-temperature physicist • What nature's identical particles teach engineers Please enjoy the show. 📚 EeroQ: https://www.eeroq.com/ 🌐 Thinking On Paper: https://www.thinkingonpaper.xyz 📷 Instagram: toptechpodcast 🎧 Watch On YouTube: https://youtu.be/Veyc5Vf6sSI 🍎 Listen on Apple Podcasts: Apple Podcasts Chapters (00:00) Quantum computing at a wedding (03:57) Reverse engineering quantum computing (05:15) Quality or quantity of qubits (06:23) The modalities of quantum computing (12:36) You'll need liquid helium (19:01) Transistors and silicon (20:21) Is that thing behind you using helium-3? (26:15) How do you cool quantum systems? (31:08) How do you make more qubits? (35:15) How do you do a computation on a qubit? (40:05) Faster quantum computers (43:45) Can IBM make a useful quantum computer? (46:00) The quantum lessons of nature (48:33) Carry over question #quantumcomputing #quantumphysics #technologynews
Bruce Lee’s cultural legacy shapes modern world culture like few others. Alongside icons like Bob Marley and Muhammad Ali, his legend continues to influence action cinema, hip-hop, and martial arts philosophy. In Water Mirror Echo: Bruce Lee and the Making of Asian America, celebrated cultural biographer Jeff Chang joins Thinking On Paper to explore kung fu, mindset, Asian American empowerment, and the pop-culture history behind the man. In the second half of the show, we shift to artificial intelligence, music sampling, and the creative act. How does Jeff Chang view generative AI? What does his close friend, legendary hip-hop producer DJ Shadow, think about AI tools, sampling ethics, and machine-made music? (Spoiler: Shadow tried AI, and he thinks it's corny). How do you explain Bruce Lee to a generation raised on John Wick and The Matrix? Chang starts simply: "He’s the guy who made all of that possible." In this episode, you’ll learn: • How Bruce Lee evolved from a war baby in occupied Hong Kong and child star to cha-cha champion and Hollywood pioneer • His struggle with racism in Seattle, his role as Kato in The Green Hornet, and the famous letter he wrote promising himself $10M and global fame • The cinematic evolution between The Big Boss, Fist of Fury, and Enter the Dragon • The deeper meaning behind "Be Water" and the title Water Mirror Echo • How DJ Shadow and Jeff Chang view AI, sampling culture, and the legacy of Endtroducing • Autonomous media, machine creativity, and whether humans can truly love art created by an algorithm Please enjoy the show. Links & Resources 📚 Jeff Chang’s books & bio: jeffchang.net 📷 Jeff Chang on Instagram: @zentronix 🖊️ Read Jeff's Substack: zentronix.substack.com Connect with Thinking on Paper 🌐 Website & Show Notes: thinkingonpaper.xyz 📷 Instagram: @toptechpodcast 🎧 Spotify: Listen on Spotify 🍎 Apple Podcasts: Listen on Apple Podcasts Chapters (00:00) Bruce Lee, AI, and the First Draft (02:06) Who Was Bruce Lee? Defining a Legend (05:15) How Bruce Lee Made Zen Pop Culture (10:05) The Letter to Himself and Napoleon Hill's Mindset (15:33) Wartime Hong Kong & Martial Arts Origins (18:37) Seattle, Early Racism, and Cha-Cha Champion (21:19) The Big Boss, Fist of Fury, and Enter the Dragon (28:17) Be Water: Bruce Lee's Philosophy & Real Fighting (32:21) Water, Mirror, Echo: Meaning Behind the Book Title (34:25) Does Jeff Chang Use AI? (40:24) DJ Shadow on AI, Sampling, and Endtroducing (48:26) Generative Art: Could You Love Machine-Made Music? (54:28) Single-Mindedness and Bruce Lee's Final Legacy #brucelee #jeffchang #djshadow #ai #generativeai #watermirrorecho #asianamericanhistory #hiphopculture #thinkingonpaper
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