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Marginal Revolution

Marginal Revolution

Newsletter | United States | Centre-Right
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Economics blog by Tyler Cowen and Alex Tabarrok covering economics, culture, and ideas.

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Discussions from Marginal Revolution

Technology

Anthropomorphizing AI?

I am very much opposed to the view that the AIs are sentient, or might be sentient. I view that as a category error, and the chances of it being true are vanishingly small. Nonetheless I largely side with Roon when he writes: there are some number of bad abstractions in anthropomorphizing ai intents but there […] The post Anthropomorphizing AI? appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION. Related StoriesMy recent visit to AnthropicChina fact of the dayInterviewing Yiyang Zhuge (Zhong Shu)

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Culture

Interviewing Yiyang Zhuge (Zhong Shu)

Many people are writing to me, upset that I am interviewing Ziyang Zhuge, a well-known Chinese internet intellectual, who recently was accused of plagiarism. I am keen to proceed with the interview, and am happy to explain why. A few points: 1. The relevant facts here still are being disputed, and furthermore it all happened […] The post Interviewing Yiyang Zhuge (Zhong Shu) appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION. Comments“That is a violation of terms of service, and in economic . by Tu3. Your...

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Technology

China fact of the day

Chinese actors and online influencers have a new rival: cost-effective advanced AI video generation programmes that are threatening millions of jobs in a once-vibrant area of China’s gig economy. The release of powerful new AI-powered video software, such as tech group ByteDance’s Seedance 2.0 model, has allowed digital actors to replace humans, enabling the production […] The post China fact of the day appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION. CommentsSo it seems that AI has accelerated the con...

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Business

Tysons Corner (Alaska) fact of the day

The centerpiece is Tysons Corner Center, today the eighth largest mall in the country, and one of the largest sub-city-sized markets for office space. It is half-owned by the Alaska Permanent Fund, which is the state-owned corporation that invests oil revenue on behalf of Alaska’s citizens, and half-owned by Macerich, a giant REIT, which is in turn owned by hundreds of […] The post Tysons Corner (Alaska) fact of the day appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION. CommentsMacerich is one of the cou...

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Economy

*Visions from San Francisco Bay*

European and American capitalism were different. The violence of human clashes in America took place on the surface, in the open. The violence in Europe became formalized, coalesced with class divions hallowed by centuries; it was interiorized, ingrained, or baked in, if one may use such an expression. American capitalism was founded on daring, resourcefulness, […] The post Visions from San Francisco Bay appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION. CommentsIn reply to Dismalist. Target market dem...

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Business

Costco facts of the day

Costco sold 157.4mn rotisserie chickens worldwide last year, almost double the number of a decade ago. “It’s $4.99 and for Costco members, that’s one fantastic deal. I don’t think you can produce it for that,” said Walt Shafer, who oversaw the construction and management of the Nebraska site before he retired from Costco this year. […] The post Costco facts of the day appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION. Related StoriesThings you cannot buy in America?AI and Marginal Revolutions in Wastewat...

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Culture

What should I ask Yiyang Zhuge (诸葛一杨), also known as Zhong Shu (仲树)?

Yes I will be doing a Conversation with her. She is best known to Western audiences for her interview with Christopher Nolan, but she has numerous other achievements: Yiyang Zhuge is a political theorist, political columnist, and a translator of German and Greek philosophical texts. She is an instructor at Brandeis University, and a PhD Candidate at Boston College. Yiyang […] The post What should I ask Yiyang Zhuge (诸葛一杨), also known as Zhong Shu (仲树)? appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION. R...

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Politics

Polling results on capitalism and socialism

The results suggest that the public is feeling down about capitalism but is still wary of full-blown socialism. And many are deciding whether a few socialist candidates might help shake up the system. We found that: —Just a third of Americans privately say they have a positive view of capitalism. —Less than half of Republicans […] The post Polling results on capitalism and socialism appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION. CommentsIn reply to Modean Grunch. This not only has to work in favor . ...

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Culture

Luke Burgis interviews Patrick Collison on aesthetics

It was very fun talking to @patrickc about New Aesthetics at the @ClunyInstitute ‘s conference last month. We talked about: —The origin story of the New Aesthetics grants — and why he and Tyler Cowen disagree on almost everything aesthetic (1:00) —Why culture is “stuck”: a 1926 Bauhaus building could pass for last year’s (2:30) —Modernism’s explicit, stated […] The post Luke Burgis interviews Patrick Collison on aesthetics appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION. CommentsBiology is ugly? Exhibi...

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Technology

Data Centers and the Open Access Order

The US discussion over datacenters is depressing. Datacenters do not use a lot of water, they produce very useful outputs, they are not a blight on the landscape. All of this is obvious. But I don’t want to restate the obvious. What bothers me most about the discussion is that people seem to think this […] The post Data Centers and the Open Access Order appeared first on Marginal

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Technology

The least bad way to regulate AI?

That is the topic of my latest Free Press column. Excerpt: The key is to create some basic safeguards, but without stifling broader AI progress. To do so, we must defy the conventional wisdom about public oversight and instead trust the AI labs to be their own primary regulators. My version of the proposal starts […] The post The least bad way to regulate AI? appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION. Related StoriesAI and constitutions (from my email)My recent visit to AnthropicData Centers and ...

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Technology

AI and constitutions (from my email)

“Dear Tyler, I enjoyed reading your notes on visiting Anthropic to advise on Claude’s constitution. Framing AI governance around the common law, case law (“Talmud”), and independent adjudication is a much more adaptive approach than relying on a static, top-down text. That said, moving from a fixed text to a case-law system introduces its own […] The post AI and constitutions (from my email) appeared first on Marginal REVOLUTION. Related StoriesMy recent visit to AnthropicTowards a New House ...

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