When I was young, the 2020s sounded like science fiction. Now the time has arrived, and it actually feels like science fiction!
Chatbots that can talk about topics as advanced as economics and the time complexity of algorithms ✅
The artificial generation of art from poems, over paintings to videos ✅
The automation of algorithmic discovery, chip design, and protein structure prediction ✅
Artificial intelligence that is increasingly capable of generating code and solving higher mathematics problems ✅
Robots that can jump, dance, play table tennis, and follow natural language commands in the real world ✅
Automatic transcription and translation of spoken language approaching human-level robustness and accuracy ✅
3D-printed rocket companies, reusable rockets that can land themselves, and private spaceflight, cheap enough to create a commercial satellite internet infrastructure ✅
Whole genome kits that are cheap enough for hobbyists to carry out genetic research of groups ✅
Over 130 longevity biotechnology companies and over 50 anti-aging drugs in clinical trials ✅
Brain-computer interfaces that allow people to spell out full sentences and portable MRIs ✅
Virtual reality hardware that is portable, fun, and affordable ✅
Everyone owns a portable supercomputer that offers instant access to all the world's knowledge, knows precisely where it is located on the globe, features a detailed map of the whole world, and allows its users to connect with everyone by video chat ✅
Animals such as livestock and pets are regularly cloned ✅
Commercial and affordable drones are used in large-scale warfare ✅
Flying cars ❌
There are sadly also a couple that are still lagging far behind because we've been idiots (or because they are genuinely hard) like fusion / cheap power and nanotechnology
I love that this blog can simultaneously be so techno-optimistic while still being a realist about AI risk. It's a surprisingly hard combination to find.