Reproducibility is a bedrock of scientific progress. However, it’s remarkably difficult to get reproducible results out of large language models.
For example, you might observe that asking ChatGPT the same question multiple times provides different results. This by itself is not surprising, since getting a result from a language model involves “sampling”, a process that converts the language model’s output into a probability distribution and probabilistically selects a token.
What might be more surprising is that even when we adjust the temperature down to 0This means that the LLM always chooses the highest probability token, which is called greedy sampling. (thus making the sampling theoretically deterministic), LLM APIs are still not deterministic in practice (see past discussions here, here, or here). Even when running inference on your own hardware with an OSS inference library like vLLM or SGLang, sampling still isn’t deterministic (see here or here).
Feudalism once ruled Earth—could it rule the cosmos too? We dive into the strange but plausible world of space nobles, orbital dukes, and knights of the vacuum clad in power armor or piloting mecha.
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Credits:
Feudal Futures — Knights & Nobles in the Space Age.
Written, Produced & Narrated by: Isaac Arthur.
Select imagery/video supplied by Getty Images.
Music Courtesy of Epidemic Sound http://epidemicsound.com/creator.
Chapters.
0:00 Intro.
0:12 Feudalism… IN SPACE!!!? Knights, Mechs, and Space Lords.
5:04 Lords of the Vacuum – Whoever Builds the Habitat, Owns the Habitat.
9:10 Feudal Claims on Natural Resources.
14:31 Vassalage in Vacuum – How Loyalty Could Work in Space.
18:20 Breaking the Mold – Alternative Models to Feudal Ownership.
20:52 Natural Armor.
22:12 Would It Work? Or Collapse Gloriously?
23:38 The Knight Reforged – Power Armor, Mechs, and Weapons of Mass Respect.
25:12 A New Middle Ages Among the Stars?
Mo Gawdat warns that AI will soon surpass human intelligence, fundamentally changing society, but also believes that with collective action, ethical development, and altruistic leadership, humans can ensure a beneficial future and potentially avoid losing control to AI
## Questions to inspire discussion.
AI’s Impact on Humanity.
🤖 Q: How soon will AI surpass human intelligence? A: According to Mo Gawdat, AI will reach AGI by 2026, with intelligence measured in thousands compared to humans, making human intelligence irrelevant within 3 years.
🌍 Q: What potential benefits could AI bring to global issues? A: 12% of world military spending redirected to AI could solve world hunger, provide universal healthcare, and end extreme poverty, creating a potential utopia.
Preparing for an AI-Driven Future.
New research from the University of St Andrews is advancing holographic technology, with potential applications in smart devices, communication, gaming, and entertainment. In a paper published in the journal Light, Science and Application, physicists from the School of Physics and Astronomy reported the creation of a new optoelectronic device that combines Holographic Metasurfaces (HMs) with Organic Light-Emitting Diodes (OLEDs).
Until now, holograms have typically been generated using lasers. The St Andrews team, however, demonstrated that pairing OLEDs with HMs provides a more compact and straightforward method. This approach is not only easier to implement but also less expensive, addressing one of the key challenges that has limited wider use of holographic technology.
OLEDs are thin-film devices already common in mobile phone displays and some televisions, where they create colored pixels. Because they are flat and emit light across their surface, OLEDs are also promising for emerging fields such as optical wireless communication, biophotonics, and sensing. Their versatility and ability to integrate with other components make them well-suited for developing miniaturized, light-based systems.
The Electric Viking