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A comment on AI 'godfather' LeCun has 'zero concerns' about human extinction. Parent comment

Re:AI 'godfather' LeCun has 'zero concerns' about human exti... by sanderjd on Sunday October 04, 2026 @11:12AM (#49954586)
Is there anyone who has not been badly wrong? I've been reading these debates for years and I don't think I've seen anybody pick the right spot on the bearish to bullish spectrum. The only thing I've become more certain of in this time has been uncertainty.
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Re:AI 'godfather' LeCun has 'zero concerns' about human exti... by mitthrowaway2 on Sunday October 04, 2026 @11:54AM (#49954991)
I apply more of a penalty to people who are confidently wrong, and who don't, In retrospect, notice that they were wrong and analyze why they got it wrong . LeCun is very confident and doesn't seem to have done much introspection.
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Re:AI 'godfather' LeCun has 'zero concerns' about human exti... by sanderjd on Sunday October 04, 2026 @01:35PM (#49955972)
But isn't that also pretty much everybody?

I often see people vindicate those who predicted really fast takeoff to AGI / ASI, because the capabilities have obviously been taking off extremely quickly. But still not as quickly as many predicted! To me, the people who confidently predicted that we'd all be out of a job by 2024 or 2025 have been just as wrong as LeCun has been.

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Re:AI 'godfather' LeCun has 'zero concerns' about human exti... by mitthrowaway2 on Sunday October 04, 2026 @01:41PM (#49956025)
Yeah, so the ones who have credibility are probably the ones who said "you know, it's really hard to anticipate timelines, but here's the general directions that I see things will go..."
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Re:AI 'godfather' LeCun has 'zero concerns' about human exti... by sanderjd on Monday October 05, 2026 @08:46AM (#49964155)
Yes, and I feel like I see that perspective from many random commentators here and elsewhere, but that the prominent voices have been more likely to take a more confident stance on one side or the other.
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Re:AI 'godfather' LeCun has 'zero concerns' about human exti... by sampullman on Monday October 05, 2026 @12:23AM (#49960652)
No, most people I know have sane takes on AI capabilities and potential.

It's only online that I've seen these wild predictions, where it coincidentally is profitable to say them. These people are looking g for clicks or to stay relevant, so they have to say crazy stuff.

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Re:AI 'godfather' LeCun has 'zero concerns' about human exti... by sanderjd on Monday October 05, 2026 @08:47AM (#49964166)
I agree, but what I mean is, who among the prominent LeCun level voices has been more vindicated by events than him? I agree that people I talk to here and in real life are more uncertain and circumspect.
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Re:AI 'godfather' LeCun has 'zero concerns' about human exti... by mitthrowaway2 on Tuesday October 06, 2026 @10:07AM (#49978740)
What predictions has LeCun made that were vindicated by events?
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Re:AI 'godfather' LeCun has 'zero concerns' about human exti... by sanderjd on Tuesday October 06, 2026 @11:43AM (#49980193)
He didn't think LLMs would lead us to AGI by now, and indeed they have not.
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Re:AI 'godfather' LeCun has 'zero concerns' about human exti... by mitthrowaway2 on Monday October 12, 2026 @04:29PM (#50062582)
Did, say, Yoshua Bengio claim that we'd have AGI by October 2026? I must have missed it.
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Re:AI 'godfather' LeCun has 'zero concerns' about human exti... by thefourthchime on Sunday October 04, 2026 @02:22PM (#49956443)
In my selective memory, I've been right about everything.
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Re:AI 'godfather' LeCun has 'zero concerns' about human exti... by jbs789 on Sunday October 04, 2026 @05:51PM (#49958273)
Haha. I like to say: I do whatever I want, as long as my wife agrees.
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Re:AI 'godfather' LeCun has 'zero concerns' about human exti... by enraged_camel on Sunday October 04, 2026 @02:31PM (#49956519)
>> Is there anyone who has not been badly wrong?

Being wrong, even badly wrong, is fine, so long as one adjusts their beliefs accordingly. LeCun has not.

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Re:AI 'godfather' LeCun has 'zero concerns' about human exti... by magicalist on Sunday October 04, 2026 @02:46PM (#49956656)
Seems like that's begging the question at best, motivated reasoning at worst.
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Re:AI 'godfather' LeCun has 'zero concerns' about human exti... by sanderjd on Monday October 05, 2026 @08:50AM (#49964186)
He remains unconcerned about existential risk to humanity, but that does not mean he has not updated any of his beliefs.
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