Isn’t it the case that lots (in raw numbers, not %) of smart people believe irrational things (e.g. religion, health, climate, politics) all the time? When you consider the size of the AI field, there was going to be at least one LeCun right?
Yeah, fair point. But most such irrational beliefs tend to be somewhat outside smart people’s fields of personal expertise. And smart people tend to update if they’re exposed to a lot of skeptical feedback—which LeCun has been, on Twitter. Yet he’s dug in his heels, and become even more anti-safety in recent months.
Maybe in the grand scheme his personal views don’t matter much. But to a psychologist like me, his behavior is both baffling and chilling.
Isn’t it the case that lots (in raw numbers, not %) of smart people believe irrational things (e.g. religion, health, climate, politics) all the time? When you consider the size of the AI field, there was going to be at least one LeCun right?
Yeah, fair point. But most such irrational beliefs tend to be somewhat outside smart people’s fields of personal expertise. And smart people tend to update if they’re exposed to a lot of skeptical feedback—which LeCun has been, on Twitter. Yet he’s dug in his heels, and become even more anti-safety in recent months.
Maybe in the grand scheme his personal views don’t matter much. But to a psychologist like me, his behavior is both baffling and chilling.