e/acc What it is. A Perplexity.ai Experiment Nov 19 2023
This is an Ironstone Advisory Tools experiment using the AI chatbot called Perplexity.ai … it is an alternative to chatGTP, and it’s trying to make sessions with an llm more explicable and more like a complete session with a librarian, teacher or expert. In its generations, it includes references to sources of the material that it writes by default. It writes in a style that is much like a magazine or Wikipedia entry. It is still generating text along the model but constrains the results to something that I use your can do for the research directly on the web. The writing style was much like a Wikipedia entry or a long form magazine. In English the language is quite clear I have not tested it in any other language. Perplexity was founded in 2022, the San Francisco-based startup built a conversational search engine using LLMs to deliver more accurate and intuitive results. Their technology is based on the GPT-3.5 language model from OpenAI, it is on a mission to use the potential of LLMs to make search more natural and conversational and deliver more relevant results. The idea is to evolve from “search engines” to “answer engines.”
Perplexity AI is a tool designed to aid in crafting insightful content. It achieves this by furnishing relevant information, inspiring content ideas, and making practical recommendations. At its core, it uses natural language processing coupled with machine learning techniques to examine text data from various sources. Doing so provides an in-depth analysis and helps generate fresh concepts”. (From: Elegant Themes)
In my explorations so far it tends to pick sources of information that are verifiable and moderated. I have not tried any adversarial techniques with it this time but it is very useful and processing and understanding the news. Here are some use cases for perplexity.ai:
- Verification and fact checking of news stories from social media
- Research for your own work and publications
- References for the creation of speeches and presentations
- Knowledge enhancement
- Education and learning
There is the Discovery button on the standard interface and that’s as useful as reading any magazine in my opinion at this time. When you select the Discovery button it has a list of topical items from top trending news and it provides background information and research for those items. This is probably one of the best research tools that has been introduced into the information space since the introduction of LLM.
What follows is an Example of a Perplexity session of a concept emerging that is of interest called e/acc, which stands for effective accelerationism. It is a pseudo philosophy that is emerging amongst elite technologists and successful wealthy investors.
[ #iaprediction : I predict that perplexity will be purchased by one of the larger AI companies because they are dependent on other apis that they are not creating. They do not have a foundational LLM yet nor do they own requisite data sets to create one. I’m also assuming based on their founders that Databricks or Quora will be a likely acquisition leader if Perplexity gets Revenue attraction with advertisers and news publications. If I were the New York Times I would try and buy them ]
E/acc, short for Effective Accelerationism, is an ideology and movement that draws from Nick Land’s theories of accelerationism. It advocates for the belief that artificial intelligence (AI) and large language models (LLMs) will lead to a post-scarcity technological utopia
The name is also a play on Effective Altruism, a social movement focused on an evidence-led form of philanthropy
The e/acc movement believes that technology and market forces, referred to as "technocapital," are accelerating in their power and abilities and cannot be stopped. They argue that technocapital can usher in the next evolution of consciousness, creating next-generation lifeforms and silicon-based awareness
The overarching goal for humanity, according to e/acc, is to preserve the light of consciousness
E/acc communities primarily fostered on Twitter Spaces, with e/acc manifestos being shared using the newsletter platform Substack
The movement has gained traction among some of Silicon Valley’s elite, including Marc Andreessen and Garry Tan, CEO of Y Combinator.
However, the movement has also sparked debates and criticisms. Some are skeptical of the idea that accelerating and open-sourcing AI capabilities research is more likely to result in good outcomes for society than being more cautious and authoritarian
Others question the movement’s goal of accelerating AI development as quickly as possible, given the potential existential risks associated with AI
Principles of E/acc
E/acc, or Effective Accelerationism, is an ideology and movement that draws from Nick Land’s theories of accelerationism. The main principles of e/acc include:
1. Faith in Dynamical Adaptation: E/acc is about having faith in the dynamical adaptation process and aiming to accelerate the advent of its asymptotic limit, often referred to as the technocapital singularity.
2. No Allegiance to Biological Substrate: E/acc has no particular allegiance to the biological substrate for intelligence and life, in contrast to transhumanism.
3. Acceleration of Technocapital: One goal of e/acc is to acknowledge the existence of the underlying multi-scale adaptive principle and help accelerate it, rather than attempting to decelerate it
E/acc proponents believe that AI and large language models will lead to a post-scarcity technological utopia, creating a world without scarcity.
However, the movement has sparked debates and criticisms, with some expressing skepticism about the potential risks associated with accelerating AI development.
For more detailed information, you can refer to the notes on e/acc principles and tenets.
Critics of e/acc, or Effective Accelerationism, have raised several concerns about the movement. These include:
1. Macho Rhetoric and Dismissal of AI Safety Concerns: The movement has been criticized for its flagrantly macho rhetoric and for portraying people concerned about AI safety as weak and effeminate
2. Disregard for Social and Economic Crisis: Critics argue that e/acc disregards the potential social and economic crises that could arise from AI disruption, such as mass unemployment
3. Influence of Tech Bro Culture: Some view e/acc as being driven by a group of "tech bros" who believe in an inevitable positive feedback loop between technology and capital, which has been questioned by experts in fields like physics
4. Questionable Ethical Implications: Concerns have been raised about the ethical implications of accelerating AI development as quickly as possible, especially given the potential existential risks associated with AI
These criticisms highlight the diverse range of concerns surrounding the e/acc movement, from its societal and economic impacts to its ethical and cultural underpinnings.
Rob Tyrie is a professional software consultant and advisor with almost 40 years of experience in Enterprise Software and application software startup companies. He is the founder CEO of IRONSTONE ADVISORY and a Founder of The Grey Swan Guild, a global virtual Think Tank. He lives in Toronto on a hill with his collection of books, journals and interconnection to the internet. He’s a frequent traveler and has a passport to cyberspace.
