Some reflections on my last year with AI:
The work I set out to do has become way more ambitious.
As a silly example:
This past month, I’ve been training AI using go-explore/RL to beat a Mario Kart world record. (Sadly I haven’t, but I’ve learned quite a lot)
A year or two ago, my project would have just been can I get AI to play Mario Kart.
A less silly example:
For my final graduate class, I set out to build a proof of concept for forecasting earthquakes. I tried creating a foundational model and fine-tuning it for earthquake detection. I don’t think I would have even been able to even attempt something so ambitious that long ago.
What’s nice about working on the frontier is I still have to use my brain quite a lot. Routine work that AI can increasingly do
If I’m being honest, I don’t expect this to last forever. Someday the hard, brain-engaging part of the frontier might be something AI just does. But for the last year, it has been very fun :)