The Worlds I See: Curiosity, Exploration, and Discovery at the Dawn of AI

she was driven from childhood not just to learn but to put that knowledge to principled use. To be a part of the world, to explore its reaches, and to leave a mark on

Imagine an existence so bereft of sensation that it couldn’t even be described as “dark,” as no corresponding notion of light had yet been conceived. Imagine a world in which nothing is seen, or heard, or felt, rendering the very idea of being alive little more than a metabolic distinction. Imagine a world of beings lacking even a basic sense of se

But beyond the numbers lay the accomplishment that moved me most: the realization of a true ontology of the world, as conceptual as it was visual, curated from the ground up by humans for the sole purpose of teaching machines.

He’d then make an almost theatrical show out of his pre-class ritual of getting as comfortable as possible: ceremoniously taking off his jacket, tie, and watch, removing his wallet from his pocket and setting it on the desk, and sometimes even stepping out of his shoes. It was clear he didn’t want a single distraction to get between him and the obs

For all our limitations, human perception is the antithesis of this. We see the world holistically, not just identifying but understanding its contents—their relationships, their meanings, their pasts, and their futures. The gist. We aren’t merely witnesses, but storytellers. It felt like it was time for algorithms to learn how to do the same.

For the foreseeable future, simply regaining an ability to express myself would be the center of my intellectual life.

This revolution must build on that foundation, faithfully. It must respect the collective dignity of a global community. And it must always remember its origins: the restless imagination of an otherwise unremarkable species of hominid, so mystified by its own nature that it now seeks to re-create it in silicon. This revolution must, therefore, be u

If there’s a silver lining to periods of such opacity, however, when the world seems all but closed to scientific inquiry, it’s that the curious among us are at their most inventive.

Jia was the kind of partner who reacted to a frustrating problem by thinking harder.