Decoding Our Coexistence Around AI with Raffi Krikorian

On this episode, host Vahe Andonians welcomes the brilliant Raffi Krikorian, CTO at Emerson Collective, to discuss the intricacies of control and responsibility we share with technology. Together, they unravel the threads of human influence over tech evolution, challenging the pervasive notion that we're at the mercy of these digital forces. The conversation navigates through the ethics of AI, the societal impact of tech centralization, and the pivotal role of open source in maintaining a rich tapestry of innovation. 

Vahe and Raffi scrutinize the ways companies leverage our psychology to hook us on their products, underlining the importance of introspection in understanding tech's grip on our lives. Listen in as we explore the complex relationship between AI and the democratic process, particularly in the context of elections. They illuminate the balancing act required to harness the power of open-source AI for good while guarding against its potential to spread misinformation and influence voter behavior. Together, they ponder the responsibilities of platform companies, the importance of government regulation, and the value of public education in safeguarding our electoral integrity. Moreover, we delve into the visual and emotive frontiers of AI, from the nuances of voter outreach to the labyrinth of self-driving technology, and envision a future where AI collaboration elevates human potential. In this episode, we grapple with the monumental task of maintaining societal awareness amidst rapid technological change. 

Hear insights on the approach to AI education, and the moral imperatives driving the use of beneficial AI in healthcare and probe into the difficulties of predicting future challenges in an era of exponential growth, stressing the importance of learning from past tech scaling experiences. 

From the impact of social media and atomic energy to the timeless wisdom of standing on the shoulders of giants, our discussion with Raffi offers profound reflections on progress and the iterative nature of innovation. 

Tune in for a journey through the past, present, and future of our coexistence with technology.

Key Quotes: 

• “We're in an arms race, but it's not an arms race of, who can build better technology. It's an arms race of, this technology is happening so quickly, and our society absorbs things not at that pace. And  I'm not, by no means am I advocating slowing down, but I think just even awareness that that's the issue I think is really important because then we can start to address it, whether it be through education or others. We need a better way for people to really truly understand what's happening. Otherwise, we go into this runaway scenario.”
• “A lot of these lessons have been learned already. And we just need to be better scholars of what's happened in the past for us to take those lessons moving forward and really focus on what's actually new here. Like we don't need to reinvent the wheel 12 billion times what's actually new. Let's focus our energies and understand that. So, let's not just dismiss scholars who've worked on other issues. Let's not dismiss regulation that's already occurred in the past. Let's figure out what's new and make sure we stand on the shoulders of giants and get this one right.”
• ”I would say open source is clearly the answer. We need to have transparency into what's going on. That is going to be the road to both security and to innovation. I think there's a whole set of pros around it. However, in 2024 with the elections going on,This set of tools can now be used in a rampant way to confuse voters, to spread misinformation, to do all these things. I'm not by any means saying we should stop them.I'm not by any means saying that, that, that we should clamp down on open source and leave it only to the closed source companies that control their platforms to regulate themse