Azeem Azhar’s Post

Mechanistic Interpretability for AI Safety -- A Review. Understanding the mind of LLMs and mapping it to explainable algorithms is crucial for both safety and improves explainability for operating in controlled environments such as Finance, Health Care. Safety first with Anthropic Claude Sonet. Link to paper: https://lnkd.in/eJ5fihJG

This piece by Jonathan Mellon is great. Naturally, a debate on causal inference methods will ensue here, but we shouldn't overlook another reason it's a good piece. It's a great example of "science" beyond methods. It's a powerful demonstration of the role of meta-analysis and cumulative science in the context of causal inference research. Often, and this isn't the fault of those conducting the research, people tend to accept single studies as definitive proof of a causal relationship. No single study, no matter how well-designed or identified, proves anything. Science at its core is Bayesian - it's a collaborative effort where bodies of work prove or show things, and studies only nudge us some distance one way or another. #researchmethods #causalinference #statisticalmodeling #weather

So very much endorse Sam's point here. All too often, in many social sciences, we take one study's findings as universal truth and fail to let a thousand flowers bloom. Many of our journals and reviewers search for "novel" theoretical or empirical advancements when rigorous work in science requires incrementalism, replication, and the steady building of evidence across time and disciplinary perspectives. Collaboration and transparency should be the ethical standards rather than gatekeeping and competition. We allow these pathologies to develop through perverse norms and poor mentorship. I hope that we can reverse some of these trends as data becomes more open and formerly abstruse methods and coding languages become more widely accessible through technological innovations like generative AI and machine learning. Then we can think about actual issues more critically and focus on theory development without pressuring young scholars to be fundamentally "novel" at every turn.

Isn't it fascinating how the collated writings of billions of people lead to a consistent, cohesive model of cognition? Falcon-180B, which is the largest open weight model to date, was trailed on a stunning 3 trillion parameters. And what comes out? An entity that is capable of reasoning its way through some of our most challenging problems. It suggests some homology, if not isentropy, in the way brains work. The input of light and sound appear to be key to the development of cognition. Even the legendary Helen Keller had two years where she could see and hear. I have become a believer in cognitive science and the existence of "correct" manners of thought. As we build more advanced models, we will be slowly, empirically testing many philosophical principles about the way thought works. We've been blessed with a plethora of open weights and detailed papers that are allowing open science to progress at rapid speed. Do we start to run into stifling homogeneity? How do we incorporate divergence of opinion and conflicts of interest? What is the optimal way for agents to interact? All these questions and more have legitimate chances of being explored in the next ten years, and I couldn't be more excited.

The Emerging Science: “We Are ONE Consciousness” - Life, Death & The Simulation | Donald Hoffman Donald Hoffman is back on Know Thyself today to explore the constraints of time and space, and how they shape our understanding of the world around us. He discusses the "headset analogy" - the idea that our senses act as a kind of cognitive filter, preventing us from directly perceiving the true nature of reality. Donald delves into the paradoxes found in various mathematical theorems, and his newest research on "conscious agents" and how it relates to the Gaia hypothesis. The significance of mystical experiences and their potential to reveal truths about the nature of reality is also covered. Hoffman also opens up about his thoughts on reincarnation, the relationship between science and spirituality, and the possibility of artificial intelligence becoming truly conscious. https://lnkd.in/dERKVWV4

With GenAi have we leveled up our capacity to strip mine human potential? What will it be, silent spring 2.0 or a chance to protect and grow cognition as a human right? https://lnkd.in/gXtfmTK7

Balancing Science and Morality: A Lesson from History Werner Heisenberg, a pioneering physicist, once said: "Science is rooted in conversations. The most fruitful ones are those where there is a balance between the spiritual and the material." This statement is not only a reflection on the nature of scientific inquiry but also a powerful reminder of the need for moral responsibility. Heisenberg, who was involved in Nazi Germany’s atomic research, later grappled with the ethical dilemmas surrounding the use of scientific knowledge for destructive purposes. As we push the boundaries of technology and innovation—whether in AI, biotechnology, or quantum computing—it is crucial to ensure that these advancements serve humanity, not harm it. Science must not exist in a vacuum, disconnected from ethics, spirituality, and the broader human context. The true value of scientific discovery lies in how it contributes to the betterment of society and aligns with the principles of justice and compassion. In today’s world, where our technological power continues to grow, let’s remember Heisenberg’s wisdom. The conversations we have about science should always include not just the how but also the why. We must constantly strive to balance technical brilliance with a moral compass to guide our innovations toward a brighter future. #ScienceAndMorality #EthicsInScience #WernerHeisenberg #InnovationWithPurpose #BalanceInTechnology #ResponsibleScience

📃 AI-Health Research Agent-based evolutionary game dynamics uncover the dual role of resource heterogeneity in the evolution of cooperation. Resource availability influences cooperation dynamics. 🌱 Our review of a PubMed article highlights its dual role. 🤝 https://lnkd.in/dT6S4MTh

For those interested in a discussion of free will, Free Agents - How Evolution Gave Us Free Will written by Kevin Mitchell (a neuroscientist and geneticist) proves to be a compelling read. In essence, living entities demonstrate the capacity to accomplish tasks in furtherance of their survival, a quality absent in non-living entities. Agency, consciousness and free will exist in some form in living things - be it paramecia or persons - in a way that does not, perhaps even cannot - in non living things - be it bits of sand or super computers. “Agency is what distinguishes us from machines. For biological creatures, reason and purpose come from acting in the world and experiencing the consequences. Artificial intelligences—disembodied, strangers to blood, sweat, and tears—have no occasion for that. If they have goals, the goals are imposed by their creators. They don’t plan. They don’t strive. At least so far” (James Gleick NYRB) While not new, these ideas are presented with elegance, challenging Benjamin Libet's theories and intersecting with Karl Friston's perspectives on free energy and active inference. Click here to read the NYRB article: https://lnkd.in/egePuTDF

NEW BLOG: "OPERATIONAL PHENOMENOLOGY" We can infer a lot about the universe that we don’t totally understand, but we can also discover or suspect at least enough about it to be able to function meaningfully / operationally as we explore further. Scientists hypothesize all the time about stuff they don’t totally understand, but can conjure “educated guesses” about, giving them reason and direction to explore. And, so, we take a leap to try to explain ourselves. READ: https://lnkd.in/eaWPZ2bH