ICML Keynote Explores What's Left in the AI Era
random_walker · x · 2026-07-14
This was a keynote at the ICML Seoul conference themed "What is left to do in the AI era." The author has published the organized slides and a lightly edited verbatim transcript.
They present three core judgments:
- The "AI as normal technology" framework is an effective way to understand AI's impact, barring discontinuous changes like recursive self-improvement.
- Recursive self-improvement deserves serious attention, but we shouldn't ignore the real-world implications of current AI as a general-purpose technology.
- The future of human work and role allocation requires rethinking between capability enhancement and social structural shifts.
Cited commentary emphasizes: if future AI truly owns and runs companies, hiring and firing humans, it would be dystopian even if "aligned," fundamentally shattering human dignity and democratic governance.
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