HAI Seminar with Adam Becker & Jon Evans: “More Everything Forever” and “Exadelic”

Quick Overview

Science journalist and astrophysicist Adam Becker discussed his book "More Everything Forever," detailing the dangers of the "ideology of technological salvation" prevalent in Silicon Valley, while author and engineer Jon Evans analyzed similar themes in his novel "Exadelic," focusing on the historical roots of transhumanist and simulationist urges in Bay Area subcultures and their modern manifestation in AI movements.

Key Points: Adam Becker wrote "More Everything Forever" motivated by seeing strange ideas from Silicon Valley subcultures filtering into wider culture, with leaders treated as authorities without proper scientific backgrounds. Becker prepared for writing about tech journalism by relying on critical science journalism techniques, noting that many tech journalists trade critique for access, a constraint he did not face. Jon Evans' novel "Exadelic" uses a structure involving time travel, aliens, and simulation theory, fundamentally exploring AI and the metaphor of living in a world increasingly mediated by software. Becker labels the interconnected belief systems (Transhumanism, Extropianism, etc.) as the "ideology of technological salvation," believing technology is the inevitable solution leading toward a machine god future. Evans traced the simulationist urge back to Gnosticism and early Christian figures like St. Aronyaeus of Smeirna, drawing a line through Philip K. Dick to modern AI visions. The rise of Rationalism, intertwined with Effective Altruism (EA) and modern AI, originated from Elazar Yudkowsky posting on the internet and writing Harry Potter fanfiction, becoming a significant cultural force. Both speakers agreed that excessive focus on long-term AI existential risk (X-risk) often functions as an excuse to avoid working on current, real-world problems affecting millions of people.

Context: The event featured a discussion between Adam Becker, author of "More Everything Forever: AI Overlords, Space Empires, and Silicon Valley's Crusade to Control the Fate of Humanity," and Jon Evans, author of the novel "Exadelic," hosted by Rihanna Fefficorn of Stanford HAI. Becker, an astrophysicist and science journalist, investigates the ideological underpinnings of Silicon Valley's technological elite, while Evans, an engineer and author, explores similar themes through science fiction, drawing on his background including directing the GitHub archive program.