In this episode of Justified Posteriors, we tackle the provocative essay “The Intelligence Curse” by Luke Drago and Rudolf Laine. What if AI is less like a productivity booster and more like oil in a failed state? Drawing from economics, political theory, and dystopian sci-fi, we explore the analogy between AI-driven automation and the classic resource curse.
[00:03:30] Introducing The Intelligence Curse – A speculative essay that blends LessWrong rationalism, macroeconomic theory, and political pessimism.
[00:07:55] Running through the six economic mechanisms behind the curse, including volatility, Dutch disease, and institutional decay.
[00:13:10] Prior #1: Will AI-enabled automation make elites less responsive to ordinary people by 2050?
[00:21:00] Prior #2: Will we get a new social contract (e.g., large-scale UBI or constitutional change) by 2050?
[00:26:31] Chapter-by-chapter breakdown.
[00:43:50] What about property rights? Can they insulate us from AI-induced tyranny? Or will they be eroded in the name of efficiency?
[00:46:01] Critiques
[00:52:00] Policy "solutions":
[01:04:44] Final posteriors and Seth’s economic-philosophical reflections: Can immortality + perfect patience = AI capital monopolies?
Mentioned in the Episode
📖 “The Intelligence Curse” by Luke Drago and Rudolf Laine
📚 I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream
📚 There Is No Antimemetics Division
📚 The Naked Sun by Isaac Asimov
🎮 90s point-and-click horror game based on “I Have No Mouth...”
📈 Sachs & Warner (1995) and Frankel (2012) on the resource curse.
🔁 The Gatsby Curve
📽️ Gattaca, 1984, Gulliver’s Travels
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