When Jorge Luis Borges met one of the founders of AI

a year ago

The author reflects on the joy of encountering historical moments that feel both foreign and familiar.
Concerns are raised about the current attacks on academia in the US, including funding cuts and deportations.
A notable conversation between Jorge Luis Borges and Herbert A. Simon in 1970 is highlighted, bridging science and humanities.
The dialogue explores themes of free will, determinism, and the mechanical nature of human behavior compared to computers.
The author contemplates the potential of using AI to simulate historical figures or moments by combining historical data with language models.
Personal reflection on the author's mother's journals and the future possibility of creating an AI simulacrum of her thoughts and memories.
Mentions of cultural and linguistic studies, including the Jahai people's abstract smell vocabulary and the revival of Lapham’s Quarterly.
A historical dispute over aviation pioneers Santos Dumont and the Wright brothers is noted.

Hasty Briefsbeta