#72 Prof. KEN STANLEY 2.0 - On Art and Subjectivity [UNPLUGGED]

from Machine Learning Street Talk (MLST)

YT version: https://youtu.be/DxBZORM9F-8 Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mlst  Discord: https://discord.gg/ESrGqhf5CB Prof. Ken Stanley argued in his book that our world has become saturated with objectives. The process of setting an objective, attempting to achieve it, and measuring progress along the way has become the primary route to achievement in our culture. He’s not saying that objectives are bad per se, especially if they’re modest, but he thinks that when goals are ambitious then the search space becomes deceptive. Is the key to artificial intelligence really related to intelligence? Does taking a job with a higher salary really bring you closer to being a millionaire? The problem is that the stepping stones which lead to ambitious objectives tend to be pretty strange, they don't resemble the final end state at all. Vaccum tubes led to computers for example and Youtube started as a dating website.  What fascinated us about this conversation with Ken is that we got a much deeper understanding of his philosophy. He lead by saying that he thought it's worth questioning whether artificial intelligence is even a science or not. Ken thinks that the secret to future progress is for us to embrace more subjectivity.  [00:00:00] Tim Intro [00:12:54] Intro [00:17:08] Seeing ideas everywhere - AI and art are highly connected [00:28:40] Creativity in Mathematics [00:30:14] Where is the intelligence in art? [00:38:49] Is AI disappointingly simple to mechanise? [00:42:48] Slightly conscious [00:46:27] Do we have subjective experience? [00:50:23] Fear of the unknown [00:51:48] Free Will [00:54:22] Chalmers [00:55:08] What's happening now in open-endedness [00:58:31] Generalisation [01:06:34] Representation primitives and what it means to understand [01:12:37] Appeal to definitions, knowledge itself blocks discovery Make sure you buy Kenneth's book! Why Greatness Cannot Be Planned: The Myth of the Objective [Stanley, Lehman] https://www.amazon.co.uk/Why-Greatness-Cannot-Planned-Objective/dp/3319155237 Abandoning Objectives: Evolution through the Search for Novelty Alone [Lehman, Stanley] https://www.cs.swarthmore.edu/~meeden/DevelopmentalRobotics/lehman_ecj11.pdf Twitter https://twitter.com/kenneth0stanley

What this episode covers

YT version: https://youtu.be/DxBZORM9F-8 Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/mlst Discord: https://discord.gg/ESrGqhf5CB Prof. Ken Stanley argued in his book that our world has become saturated with objectives. The process of setting an objective, attempting to achieve it, and measuring progress along the way has become the primary route to achievement in our culture. He’s not saying that objectives are bad per se, especially if they’re modest, but he thinks that when goals are ambitious then the search space becomes deceptive. Is the key to artificial intelligence really related to intelligence? Does taking a job with a higher salary really bring you closer to being a millionaire? The problem is that the stepping stones which lead to ambitious objectives tend to be pretty strange, they don't resemble the final end state at all. Vaccum tubes led to computers for example and Youtube started as a dating website. What fascinated us about this conversation with Ken is that we got a much deeper understanding of his philosophy. He lead by saying that he thought it's worth questioning whether artificial intelligence is even a science or not. Ken thinks that the secret to future progress is for us to embrace more subjectivity. [00:00:00] Tim Intro [00:12:54] Intro [00:17:08] Seeing ideas everywhere - AI and art are highly connected [00:28:40] Creativity in Mathematics [00:30:14] Where is the intelligence in art? [00:38:49] Is AI disappointingly simple to mechanise? [00:42:48] Slightly conscious [00:46:27] Do we have subjective experience? [00:50:23] Fear of the unknown [00:51:48] Free Will [00:54:22] Chalmers [00:55:08] What's happening now in open-endedness [00:58:31] Generalisation [01:06:34] Representation primitives and what it means to understand [01:12:37] Appeal to definitions, knowledge itself blocks discovery Make sure you buy Kenneth's book! Why Greatness Cannot Be Planned: The Myth of the Objective [Stanley, Lehman] https://www.amazon.co.uk/Why-Greatness-Cannot-Planned-Objective/dp/3319155237 Abandoning Objectives: Evolution through the Search for Novelty Alone [Lehman, Stanley] https://www.cs.swarthmore.edu/~meeden/DevelopmentalRobotics/lehman_ecj11.pdf Twitter https://twitter.com/kenneth0stanley

NOW PLAYING

#72 Prof. KEN STANLEY 2.0 - On Art and Subjectivity [UNPLUGGED]

0:00 1:24:48

1×

No transcript for this episode yet

We transcribe on demand. Request one and we'll notify you when it's ready — usually under 10 minutes.

Share this episode

Similar Episodes

Beating loneliness by bridging the generation gap

Apr 21, 2026 ·13m

Robotics and the Future of Aged Care

Apr 19, 2026 ·16m

The Purpose Paradox: Why Baby Boomers Delay Retirement

Apr 17, 2026 ·13m

A Growing Movement Aims to Prepare All Physicians to Care for Older Adults

Apr 15, 2026 ·12m

Defeating Recurring Charges on Cancelled Credit Cards

Apr 13, 2026 ·11m

If Your Dad Has These 11 Odd Habits, He's More Lonely Than He Admits

Apr 11, 2026 ·16m

Similar Podcasts

French Your Way Jessica: Native French teacher founder of French Your Way Boost your French listening skills and test your comprehension with this one of a kind series of podcasts. Get the chance to listen to a real conversation between native speakers talking at normal speed AND customise your learning experience through carefully designed sets of questions (2 levels of difficulty) available for download at www.frenchvoicespodcast.com. All interviews also come with the transcript. French teacher Jessica interviews native speakers of French from around the world who share a bit of their life and passion. Where else would you meet in one same place a French yoga teacher based in Melbourne, a soap manufacturer from Provence, or a couple cycling around the world? Kaizen Blueprint Aldo Chandra "Kaizen" is a Japanese term for continuous improvement. This podcast provides a blueprint to learn about health, wealth, relationships and everything else in between. Through our podcast, we strive to inspire, educate, and motivate our audience to cultivate a mindset of lifelong learning, productivity, and personal development. By sharing insights, strategies, and practical tips, we aim to guide listeners on their journey towards realizing their fullest potential, fostering success, and creating lasting positive change. One Man Went To Row PepperDawesMedia Follow the journey, from training to finish line, of a man from Derby, UK who is going from having only ever rowed on a machine to rowing 3000 miles solo across the Atlantic...just after his 70th birthday! Humanizing Change Tremendousness Join us each episode as we talk with innovators in their respective fields about their unique journeys and how they humanize change in their own work, right here, on Humanizing Change.

Frequently Asked Questions

How long is this episode of Machine Learning Street Talk (MLST)?

This episode is 1 hour and 24 minutes long.

When was this Machine Learning Street Talk (MLST) episode published?

This episode was published on March 29, 2022.

What is this episode about?

Can I download this Machine Learning Street Talk (MLST) episode?

Yes, you can download this episode by clicking the download button on the episode player, or subscribe to the podcast in your preferred podcast app for automatic downloads.

URL copied to clipboard!