These are doubts I have been accumulating, I started writing the list of questions and it’s huge. Sorry. Please feel free to answer only one or just link a resource.
Background:
23. Signal processing engineer. In prestigious AI master in Paris. I have published and worked with AI applied to energy.
Summary:
despair for not being able to make a significant difference, intensely considering the idea of starting companies that change the world (vs PhD), worried about how to find interested and capable people outside developed countries, looking for a tutor.
Questions:
1 - what does the community think about starting a company? I find that companies can scale, be self-sustainable and be a great force for good. However, I haven’t seen a lot written on this. Do you see profit and doing good as incompatible?
2 - related to last question. What about the general idea of starting a company in a market X and competing by reducing the profit margin? Isn’t that good for humanity? I imagine things like food, shelter or transport being cheaper.
3 - I am very afraid of the opportunity cost of taking a PhD path. I like my area (AI), but I don’t see myself developing any huge breakthrough. I’m thinking about breakthroughs as information theory, or alexnet moments. I think we don’t really know yet what AI will be like, so I don’t think there are well posed questions in AI safety (a lot of work is assuming RL=AGI). In the other hand, maybe I can create cool things outside or cultivate abilities that are very important (human relations). What’s your take in this opposition?
4- Where can I find a tutor? I wish I had one when I was a teenager. I find most researchers are happy with contributing a little bit to a very specific area of science. Is that all we can do? All my potential tutors are on the academic world and/or don’t think a lot about making a BIG difference.
5- What do you think about “slow motion multitasking”? I saw the concept in a ted talk, is the opposite of specializing, but promises better results in the long term.
6-I’m from south america (SA), although doing my masters in Paris at the moment. Is not very easy to find very capable people interested in making good I can work together with in my home country. What do you recommend to gather such a team?
7-Living in Paris was mindblowing. The difference vs SA is subtle and not that obvious, but huge. Why aren’t we working more outside the developed work? I find there is a bias in tech and research towards the tech wealthy people will use.
8- How do you personally manage the feeling of despair when realizing the we (as individuals) can not change the world?
9-Does the community support capitalism and/or free markets? If not, do you have an alternative in mind? This could permeate the given advice. To which extent?
Different people in the community will have different views, but my own take is that the capitalism and markets can be great for growth and improving productive capacity but you want to make sure that the benefits are spread throughout society (see the book Why Nations Fail).
I’m sorry to hear that you’re feeling overwhelmed by things. I’ve felt the same way at time. It’s important to look after yourself, take time off, and connect with other people. For me, I love watching the Simpsons, going for runs with my friends, and drinking coffee!
My own take on this is that the world is big and messy, and there are lot of bad things we each as individuals have to accept we can’t control. But if you can find a niche doing something which hits the sweet spot of being both enjoyable and improving the world, then you can have a pretty good time!
I suspect you might be able to find lots of ways to use AI to make things better—I’ve seen some great work in improving agricultural production using machine learning which seems pretty good. And I’m sure there are lots of businesses and charities that would be interested in someone with your skillset.
Thank you for your kind reply. Luckily, I have read the book Why Nations Fail some time ago, the idea that political and economic inclusion prevents stagnation and is better in the long run is appealing. After reading that, I became integrating institutions in my views.
You made me realize that the question “what’s enough for one’s ambitions?” does not have a clear answer. Balancing fun, well-being and impact seems the right way to go. However, it is sometimes hard to accept that (by definition) there is always an impact level we won’t ever reach.
Coming back to institutions. Do you think I should aim to create them or to help them as an employee?
No idea—I think it most depends on the specifics of your situation. On average I think people who start organisations later in their life using their experience and contacts are likely to be more successful.
These are doubts I have been accumulating, I started writing the list of questions and it’s huge. Sorry. Please feel free to answer only one or just link a resource.
Background:
23. Signal processing engineer. In prestigious AI master in Paris. I have published and worked with AI applied to energy.
Summary:
despair for not being able to make a significant difference, intensely considering the idea of starting companies that change the world (vs PhD), worried about how to find interested and capable people outside developed countries, looking for a tutor.
Questions:
1 - what does the community think about starting a company? I find that companies can scale, be self-sustainable and be a great force for good. However, I haven’t seen a lot written on this. Do you see profit and doing good as incompatible?
2 - related to last question. What about the general idea of starting a company in a market X and competing by reducing the profit margin? Isn’t that good for humanity? I imagine things like food, shelter or transport being cheaper.
3 - I am very afraid of the opportunity cost of taking a PhD path. I like my area (AI), but I don’t see myself developing any huge breakthrough. I’m thinking about breakthroughs as information theory, or alexnet moments. I think we don’t really know yet what AI will be like, so I don’t think there are well posed questions in AI safety (a lot of work is assuming RL=AGI). In the other hand, maybe I can create cool things outside or cultivate abilities that are very important (human relations). What’s your take in this opposition?
4- Where can I find a tutor? I wish I had one when I was a teenager. I find most researchers are happy with contributing a little bit to a very specific area of science. Is that all we can do? All my potential tutors are on the academic world and/or don’t think a lot about making a BIG difference.
5- What do you think about “slow motion multitasking”? I saw the concept in a ted talk, is the opposite of specializing, but promises better results in the long term.
6-I’m from south america (SA), although doing my masters in Paris at the moment. Is not very easy to find very capable people interested in making good I can work together with in my home country. What do you recommend to gather such a team?
7-Living in Paris was mindblowing. The difference vs SA is subtle and not that obvious, but huge. Why aren’t we working more outside the developed work? I find there is a bias in tech and research towards the tech wealthy people will use.
8- How do you personally manage the feeling of despair when realizing the we (as individuals) can not change the world?
9-Does the community support capitalism and/or free markets? If not, do you have an alternative in mind? This could permeate the given advice. To which extent?
Different people in the community will have different views, but my own take is that the capitalism and markets can be great for growth and improving productive capacity but you want to make sure that the benefits are spread throughout society (see the book Why Nations Fail).
I’m sorry to hear that you’re feeling overwhelmed by things. I’ve felt the same way at time. It’s important to look after yourself, take time off, and connect with other people. For me, I love watching the Simpsons, going for runs with my friends, and drinking coffee!
My own take on this is that the world is big and messy, and there are lot of bad things we each as individuals have to accept we can’t control. But if you can find a niche doing something which hits the sweet spot of being both enjoyable and improving the world, then you can have a pretty good time!
I suspect you might be able to find lots of ways to use AI to make things better—I’ve seen some great work in improving agricultural production using machine learning which seems pretty good. And I’m sure there are lots of businesses and charities that would be interested in someone with your skillset.
Dear Louis,
Thank you for your kind reply. Luckily, I have read the book Why Nations Fail some time ago, the idea that political and economic inclusion prevents stagnation and is better in the long run is appealing. After reading that, I became integrating institutions in my views.
You made me realize that the question “what’s enough for one’s ambitions?” does not have a clear answer. Balancing fun, well-being and impact seems the right way to go. However, it is sometimes hard to accept that (by definition) there is always an impact level we won’t ever reach.
Coming back to institutions. Do you think I should aim to create them or to help them as an employee?
No idea—I think it most depends on the specifics of your situation. On average I think people who start organisations later in their life using their experience and contacts are likely to be more successful.