AI Discourse Deranged: Assessing LLM Generalization Takes and Polarizing Regulatory Debate

In this episode, Nathan and Erik discuss research out of Google Deepmind suggesting LLMs, Hemant Teneja’s responsible VC commitments, and why now is not the time for an ideological war on AI regulation. If you need an ecommerce platform, check out our sponsor Shopify: https://shopify.com/cognitive for a $1/month trial period. RECOMMENDED PODCAST: Every week investor and writer of the popular newsletter The Diff, Byrne Hobart, and co-host Erik Torenberg discuss today’s major inflection points in technology, business, and markets – and help listeners build a diversified portfolio of trends and ideas for the future. Subscribe to “The Riff” with Byrne Hobart and Erik Torenberg: https://link.chtbl.com/theriff SPONSORS: Shopify is the global commerce platform that helps you sell at every stage of your business. Shopify powers 10% of ALL eCommerce in the US. And Shopify's the global force behind Allbirds, Rothy's, and Brooklinen, and 1,000,000s of other entrepreneurs across 175 countries.From their all-in-one e-commerce platform, to their in-person POS system – wherever and whatever you're selling, Shopify's got you covered. With free Shopify Magic, sell more with less effort by whipping up captivating content that converts – from blog posts to product descriptions using AI. Sign up for $1/month trial period: https://shopify.com/cognitive NetSuite has 25 years of providing financial software for all your business needs. More than 36,000 businesses have already upgraded to NetSuite by Oracle, gaining visibility and control over their financials, inventory, HR, eCommerce, and more. If you're looking for an ERP platform ✅ head to NetSuite: http://netsuite.com/cognitive and download your own customized KPI checklist. Omneky is an omnichannel creative generation platform that lets you launch hundreds of thousands of ad iterations that actually work customized across all platforms, with a click of a button. Omneky combines generative AI and real-time advertising data. Mention "Cog Rev" for 10% off. X/SOCIAL @labenz (Nathan) @eriktorenberg (Erik) @CogRev_Podcast TIMESTAMPS: (00:00:00) - Opening discussion of recent viral tweet claiming LLMs can't generalize (00:03:27) - Waymo Safety Research (00:10:12) - Response to Google Deepmind’s research claiming LLMs can’t generalize (00:15:08) - Sponsors: Shopify | Omneky (00:21:38) - Reproduction of the DeepMind research showing noise allows generalization (00:26:02) - Helen of Transforrmers (00:30:15) - Sponsors: Oracle | Netsuite (00:32:36) - Continuation of Google Deepmind discussion (00:42:47) - “The AI Executive Order will only continue to look more foolish from here” (00:44:09) - The AI Scout mindset (00:45:22) - Few humans can extrapolate beyond their training data (00:48:45) - When does GPT-4 deceive its user? (00:49:58) - Voluntary Responsible AI Commitments from VCs (00:54:00) - Analysis of the commitments as basic common sense practices (00:56:30) - No need for an ideological war (00:57:00) - Discussion of critical reactions framing the commitments as capitulation (01:00:00) - Concerns about the voluntary commitments enabling harmful regulation (01:03:00) - Rebuttal that self-regulation can avoid heavy handed regulation (01:08:00) - Self driving cars: the invisible lives you can save (01:11:00) - Mysticism when it comes to AI (01:12:03) - Suggestion that product liability law could address concerns (01:15:00) - Challenge to defend rejecting product liability for AI systems This show is produced by Turpentine: a network of podcasts, newsletters, and more, covering technology, business, and culture — all from the perspective of industry insiders and experts. We’re launching new shows every week, and we’re looking for industry-leading sponsors — if you think that might be you and your company, email us at erik@turpentine.co .