The Techno-Religion at the Center of the A.I. Debate

Last week, a group of tech leaders called for putting guardrails on artificial intelligence. This week, these calls have been met by backlash from tech executives, lawmakers and President Trump, who liken those ringing the alarm to a doomsday cult.

Cade Metz, a technology reporter for The New York Times, explains where this criticism comes from and why it matters.

Guest: Cade Metz, a technology reporter for The New York Times.

Background reading: 

• A.I. could possibly end humanity. How are humans supposed to process that?
• “Recursive self-improvement” is an idea that terrifies A.I. doomsayers.
• Top A.I. leaders called for slowing down A.I. development last week.

Photo: Mikala Compton/The Austin American-Statesman via Getty Images

For more information on today’s episode, visit nytimes.com/thedaily. Transcripts of each episode will be made available by the next workday.

Subscribe today at nytimes.com/podcasts or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Amazon Music. You can also subscribe via your favorite podcast app here https://www.nytimes.com/activate-access/audio?source=podcatcher. For more podcasts and narrated articles, download The New York Times app at nytimes.com/app.