Bret Weinstein

You know, if the elites are too greedy and they freeze out the peasants at too high a level and they try to use brutality. Pitchforks. Yeah, eventually it comes back to haunt them. And so what you get is a recognition that you need a system that does balance these things. And the West has the best system that we've ever seen. It's one in which we agree on a level playing field.

You know, if the elites are too greedy and they freeze out the peasants at too high a level and they try to use brutality. Pitchforks. Yeah, eventually it comes back to haunt them. And so what you get is a recognition that you need a system that does balance these things. And the West has the best system that we've ever seen. It's one in which we agree on a level playing field.

We never achieve it, but we agree that it's a desirable thing. And the closer we get to it, the more wealth we create. But again, if AI empowers those with ill intent at a higher rate that it empowers those who are wealth-creating and pro-social, we may be in for a massive regression in how fair the market that the West is.

We never achieve it, but we agree that it's a desirable thing. And the closer we get to it, the more wealth we create. But again, if AI empowers those with ill intent at a higher rate that it empowers those who are wealth-creating and pro-social, we may be in for a massive regression in how fair the market that the West is.

I think they're the same thing. How are they the same thing? Because the economic displacement is going to start. I don't know how many million people are going to be displaced from their jobs in the U.S. Suddenly we're going to have a question about whether or not we have obligations to them.

I think they're the same thing. How are they the same thing? Because the economic displacement is going to start. I don't know how many million people are going to be displaced from their jobs in the U.S. Suddenly we're going to have a question about whether or not we have obligations to them.

Well, I mean, but I hear you. But you're talking about people who have done vital work, highly specialized work, and are therefore not in a great position to pivot based on the invention of a technology that they didn't see coming because, frankly, I mean, in the abstract, maybe we all saw AI coming somewhere down the road, but we did not know that it was going to suddenly dawn. And

Well, I mean, but I hear you. But you're talking about people who have done vital work, highly specialized work, and are therefore not in a great position to pivot based on the invention of a technology that they didn't see coming because, frankly, I mean, in the abstract, maybe we all saw AI coming somewhere down the road, but we did not know that it was going to suddenly dawn. And

We do have to figure out what to do with those people. It's not their fault that they've suddenly become obsolete. And it's inconceivable that people will accept this. It is fundamentally incompatible with our nature. We have to have things to strive for. And you can sustain life that way, but you cannot sustain a meaningful existence. And so it's a short-term plan at best.

We do have to figure out what to do with those people. It's not their fault that they've suddenly become obsolete. And it's inconceivable that people will accept this. It is fundamentally incompatible with our nature. We have to have things to strive for. And you can sustain life that way, but you cannot sustain a meaningful existence. And so it's a short-term plan at best.

I mean, there already is. And it doesn't require AI and it's going to get worse. I don't know what to do about it because... Essentially, as human beings, we are built, like all organisms, to find opportunity and figure out how to exploit it. That's what we do. And the world you're describing is really the opposite of that.

I mean, there already is. And it doesn't require AI and it's going to get worse. I don't know what to do about it because... Essentially, as human beings, we are built, like all organisms, to find opportunity and figure out how to exploit it. That's what we do. And the world you're describing is really the opposite of that.

It's one where you're effectively having your biological needs at the physiological level satisfied, and there isn't an obvious... place for your spare time, if that's what you end up with, to be utilized in something that, you know, there's no place to strive. And I do imagine almost at best what would happen is you have people who are

It's one where you're effectively having your biological needs at the physiological level satisfied, and there isn't an obvious... place for your spare time, if that's what you end up with, to be utilized in something that, you know, there's no place to strive. And I do imagine almost at best what would happen is you have people who are

being sustained by a universal basic income and then parasitized, you know, whatever currency they have to spend, somebody will be targeting it and they will be targeting it with an AI augmented system that spots their defects of character. I mean, again, we're already living in this world.

being sustained by a universal basic income and then parasitized, you know, whatever currency they have to spend, somebody will be targeting it and they will be targeting it with an AI augmented system that spots their defects of character. I mean, again, we're already living in this world.

But it will be that much worse when the AI is figuring out what kind of porn to target you with specifically. It's a nightmare scenario. And I do think it would be worth our time as a species to start considering if we are about to find ourselves in this situation and we find some way of dealing with the basic needs of the large number of people who are going to be sidelined.

But it will be that much worse when the AI is figuring out what kind of porn to target you with specifically. It's a nightmare scenario. And I do think it would be worth our time as a species to start considering if we are about to find ourselves in this situation and we find some way of dealing with the basic needs of the large number of people who are going to be sidelined.

What would a world have to look like in order for them to have real meaning, not pseudo meaning, not something that superficially a video game is not meaning, even if it feels very meaningful in the moment? I think that would be a worthy investment for us to figure out how to produce it. But frankly, I'm not expecting us to either have that conversation or get very far down that road.

What would a world have to look like in order for them to have real meaning, not pseudo meaning, not something that superficially a video game is not meaning, even if it feels very meaningful in the moment? I think that would be a worthy investment for us to figure out how to produce it. But frankly, I'm not expecting us to either have that conversation or get very far down that road.