Sean Carroll

It's that we start handing over really crucial functions of society and technology to algorithms we don't perfectly well understand. Right. And that is going to lead to very down-to-earth mundane failure modes that I can foresee happening in the future.

It's that we start handing over really crucial functions of society and technology to algorithms we don't perfectly well understand. Right. And that is going to lead to very down-to-earth mundane failure modes that I can foresee happening in the future.

So I think that there are very legitimate worries about this technology, but they don't always match up to the worries that people spend a lot of time talking about. Rue Phillips says, did Google's quantum chip willow really tell us anything about the multiverse? Is there any measurable connection between quantum computing and many worlds?

So I think that there are very legitimate worries about this technology, but they don't always match up to the worries that people spend a lot of time talking about. Rue Phillips says, did Google's quantum chip willow really tell us anything about the multiverse? Is there any measurable connection between quantum computing and many worlds?

I should have grouped this clearly with the earlier question, so no. There's no measurable connection between quantum computing and many worlds. There is arguably a connection between quantum computing and wave function realism. I think someone like David Deutsch would say that, in fact, he has said, I don't need to think it, he has said that hidden variable theories, which are also real,

I should have grouped this clearly with the earlier question, so no. There's no measurable connection between quantum computing and many worlds. There is arguably a connection between quantum computing and wave function realism. I think someone like David Deutsch would say that, in fact, he has said, I don't need to think it, he has said that hidden variable theories, which are also real,

wave function realist theories and also say that the wave function strictly and only obeys the Schrodinger equation, Deutsch would say these are just Everett in disguise because you have the whole wave function. It's going to branch. It obeys the Schrodinger equation. There's going to be decoherence. All of those things are true.

wave function realist theories and also say that the wave function strictly and only obeys the Schrodinger equation, Deutsch would say these are just Everett in disguise because you have the whole wave function. It's going to branch. It obeys the Schrodinger equation. There's going to be decoherence. All of those things are true.

And he would say that the advocates of pilot wave theories then add these hidden variables and say, OK, yes, but this is what's real. And he just doesn't believe that that makes any sense. So I don't really think that anyone who advocates any currently popular theory interpretation or foundational approach to quantum mechanics would be surprised that quantum computers work.

And he would say that the advocates of pilot wave theories then add these hidden variables and say, OK, yes, but this is what's real. And he just doesn't believe that that makes any sense. So I don't really think that anyone who advocates any currently popular theory interpretation or foundational approach to quantum mechanics would be surprised that quantum computers work.

And therefore, you know, to be fair, I don't think that we have gained any information that changes our credences about these different approaches. Anonymous says, have you considered doing 23andMe or similar services? You've mentioned that you don't know much about your ancestry. Could be interesting to learn. Maybe there's a physicist somewhere in there.

And therefore, you know, to be fair, I don't think that we have gained any information that changes our credences about these different approaches. Anonymous says, have you considered doing 23andMe or similar services? You've mentioned that you don't know much about your ancestry. Could be interesting to learn. Maybe there's a physicist somewhere in there.

It also provides a lot of useful medical info. So no, not really. I'm not that curious about my ancestry, and I'm very worried about handing over my genetic information to faceless corporations.

It also provides a lot of useful medical info. So no, not really. I'm not that curious about my ancestry, and I'm very worried about handing over my genetic information to faceless corporations.

I mean, in fact, it became clear that 23andMe in particular had worked out quite an amazing gimmick because they are taking all of this data from people who have handed over their data to them, and they're using it to do—

I mean, in fact, it became clear that 23andMe in particular had worked out quite an amazing gimmick because they are taking all of this data from people who have handed over their data to them, and they're using it to do—

pharmacological experiments and things like that you know they're basically ordinarily the corporation would have to pay the person to get the data that they needed but 23andMe figured out a way that the people paid them for the privilege of giving them their data and I don't think that was a very good bargain.

pharmacological experiments and things like that you know they're basically ordinarily the corporation would have to pay the person to get the data that they needed but 23andMe figured out a way that the people paid them for the privilege of giving them their data and I don't think that was a very good bargain.

Of course, genetic tests can provide a lot of useful medical info, but if I ever thought that that was something I needed to do, I would just try to do it on an individual level with a doctor, not with a corporation like 23andMe. Not that it's bad to have done it, but that's the bargain that I would personally make. Ilya Lvov says, thank you for your solo episode on emergence.

Of course, genetic tests can provide a lot of useful medical info, but if I ever thought that that was something I needed to do, I would just try to do it on an individual level with a doctor, not with a corporation like 23andMe. Not that it's bad to have done it, but that's the bargain that I would personally make. Ilya Lvov says, thank you for your solo episode on emergence.