We Want to Slow AI Down. Can It Work?

Can we slow AI development down while everyone is still trying to win the race? In this episode of Mere Mortals Book Reviews, I'm reviewing an article: “We Must Pace the Frontier” by Dario Amodei. I unpack the proposals for embedded evaluators, coordination between AI companies and international cooperation. Then I share where I'm supportive, where I'm sceptical, and why reading Nassim Nicholas Taleb’s Antifragile has me questioning the comparison between AI safety and aviation. We also explore recursive self-improvement, the tension between global cooperation and US–China competition, and whether today's AI capabilities already give us enough to work with. This is my personal reading and critique of the article. Read it yourself and tell me where you agree or disagree. READ THE ARTICLE https://darioamodei.com/post/we-must-pace-the-frontier CHAPTERS 00:00 An article review with big implications 00:32 The controversy behind the conversation 02:25 What does “pacing the frontier” mean? 03:36 Embedded evaluators: independent eyes inside AI labs 05:29 Antifragile, aviation and learning from failure 07:23 Recursive self-improvement and company coordination 09:18 Global cooperation meets US–China competition 11:32 Different levels of AI pacing 12:17 My verdict: slow down, pause or keep going? Should AI companies slow down, pause completely or keep pushing forward? What would change your mind? Subscribe to Mere Mortals Book Reviews for more reflections on books, articles and the ideas they leave us wrestling with. Connect with Mere Mortals: Website: https://www.meremortalspodcast.com/ Discord: https://discord.gg/jjfq9eGReU Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/meremortalspods Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcasts/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@meremortalspodcast Connect with Mere Mortals: Website: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/ Discord: https://discord.gg/Xs9DjsurFq Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/meremortalspods Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meremortalspodcasts/ TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@meremortalspodcasts Value 4 Value Support: Website: https://www.meremortalspodcasts.com/support Paypal: https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/meremortalspodcast