Deep learning veteran warns: don't let entrenched disbelief derail prep for the next big tech
jachiam0 · x · 2026-10-27
Reflecting on ten-plus years of the deep learning revolution, the author lays out a recurring social dynamic:
- A prototype based on a simple principle is demonstrated.
- The strongest counterargument is essentially "nuh-uh, the problem must be harder than that."
- The consequences if the tech matures are so extreme that many reject either the conclusions or the argument that the principle works.
- As the tech advances, disbelief entrenches, creating significant resistance to seriously preparing for its impacts.
- The tech matures, consequences materialize — and society is under-prepared.
He argues that for whatever technology follows this pattern next, disbelief must be aggressively pushed back on early in the cycle, because short-sighted skepticism once again risks derailing society-wide preparedness as the stakes keep rising.
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