Superintelligent machines

I fear that my dear C1.2 students live in a perpetual state of flux. Yes, yes, yes... Somehow I’ve come to realize that the recurring lexical tsunamis that wash over them twice a week might prevent them from being fully aware of the fact that we have actually tackled some very specific topics, which is the reason why I have decided to clarify a number of much-neglected issues. By the way, if you managed to understand this whole paragraph without having to stop and re-read any line... congratulations.

The first unit was devoted to pioneers and trail blazers (remember?). Well, it is no accident that the current lesson deals with the future of technology and, more specifically, with artificial intelligence. In our last class I brought up the work of Nick Bostrom, a Swedish philosopher who teaches at Oxford University and is hellbent on warning us all about the dangers that humankind must and will have to face up to. I believe that his cause may help us revisit some of the themes we touched on last Tuesday.

In the video below (recorded back in 2015) professor Bostrom discusses the risks associated with the rise of superintelligent machines. He is not particularly funny and does cast a stern aura yet he proves to be exceedingly eloquent and makes some compelling points. That said, his speech is full of interesting expressions (which is the reason for this post).

If you care to watch the clip you'll see that Mr. Bostrom makes use of some of the  very same vocabulary we saw in October (this has profound implications, paradigm shift, to steer the future into…). Inevitably he also uses adverb-adjective collocations (poorly specified, highly intelligent) and, of course, verb-noun partnerships (to make headway, the ultimate cause, to handcraft knowledge). The terms are bang up to date and the warning is real. Isn't it irresistible?

Those of you that happen to be into this sort of content might like to know that profesor Bostrom is one of the advisors to the Centre for the Study of Existential Risk, an institution which seeks to prevent any catastrophic event that could wipe human beings off the face of the Earth. In case you are wondering just how serious an institution with such a name might be simply remember that it is part of the University of Cambridge.

DO NOT AVOID CLICHES

Today I’ll keep it short. The photograph below these lines is an ironic tongue-in-cheek reminder of some of those guidelines that certain would-be writers tend to forget. Alright... Except for the second and the third points, I completely agree with all that advice. Allow me to explain.

The notion that ending sentences with prepositions is bad English was debunked decades ago. So disregard that suggestion. It might have been appropriate in Victorian England but now it just doesn’t make any sense at all. As for the third tip, let me repeat that it is not your job to be creative. Not yet, anyway. “Avoid cliches like the plague” is sound advice for an actual native speaker who aspires to be a writer. Indeed trite phrases (just like proverbs and commonplace observations) are the hallmarks of uninteresting lazy writing but for someone who is learning a foreign language (someone like you) idioms and predictable expressions are an absolute must. So please, do use idioms, cliches and all the rest of it and steer clear of any attempts at literature. Right now you need unnecessary complications “like a hole in the head” 😜

N.B. Writing tasks for this long weekend:

C1.1: a 300-word problem-solution essay on any social issue you deem worth discussing.

C1.2: a 300-word essay about a trailblazer that deserves our