Hacking State 13 - Steve Hsu: Polygenic Embryo Selection, Improving LLMs, & Getting Nearly Cancelled

 

Alex Murshak is a Michigan State grad working as an AI engineer in Austin TX. This conversation is Episode 13 of his podcast Hacking State.

Episode description:

Steve and I speak about polygenic risk scoring and embryo selection, using AI to predict phenotype from genotype, in-vitro fertilization (IVF), egg freezing, eugenic public policy, addressing Christians' and right-wing traditionalists' concerns over reproductive technology, Superfocus AI's plan to eliminate hallucination in large language models (LLMs) by separating memory from inference, introspection for LLM error correction, and surviving the failed cancellation attempt at MSU.

Huawei and the US-China Chip War — Manifold #44

 

TP Huang is a computer scientist and analyst of global technology development. He posts often on X: https://twitter.com/tphuang 

Audio-only and Transcript: https://www.manifold1.com/episodes/huawei-and-the-us-china-chip-war-44 

Steve and TP discuss: 

0:00 Introduction: TP Huang and semiconductor technology 

5:40 Huawei’s new phone and SoC 

23:19 SMIC 7nm chip production in China: Yield and economics 

28:21 Impact on Qualcomm 

36:08 U.S. sanctions solved the coordination problem for China semiconductor companies 

42:48 5G modem and RF chips: impact on Qualcomm, Broadcom, Apple, etc. 

47:14 5G and Huawei 52:50 Satellite capabilities of Huawei phones 

56:46 Huawei vs Apple and Chinese consumers 

1:01:33 Chip War and AI model training

Meritocracy, SAT Scores, and Laundering Prestige at Elite Universities — Manifold #43

 

I discuss 10 key graphs related to meritocracy and university admissions. Predictive power of SATs and other factors in elite admissions decisions. College learning outcomes - what do students learn? The four paths to elite college admission. Laundering prestige at the Ivies. 

Slides: 

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1n-nwoeKe_DcA5tJxTwqTeZBEY7nObxkujKLxVfAzRAY/edit?usp=sharing 

Audio Only and Transcript: 

https://www.manifold1.com/episodes/meritocracy-sat-scores-and-laundering-prestige-at-elite-universities-43

CLA and college learning outcomes

https://infoproc.blogspot.com/2015/01/measuring-college-learning-outcomes.html 

Harvard Veritas: Interview with a recent graduate 

https://infoproc.blogspot.com/2022/08/harvard-veritas-interview-with-recent.html 

Defining Merit - Human Capital and Harvard University

https://infoproc.blogspot.com/2009/11/defining-merit.html 

Chapter markers: 

0:00 Introduction 

1:28 University of California system report and the use of SAT scores admissions 

8:04 Longitudinal study on gifted students and SAT scores (SMPY) 

12:53 Unprecedented data on earnings outcomes and SAT scores 

15:43 How SAT scores and university pedigree influence opportunities at elite firms 

17:35 Non-academic factors fail to predict student success 

20:49 Predicted earnings 

24:24 Measured benefit of Ivy Plus attendance 

28:25 CLA: 13 university study on college learning outcomes 

32:34 Does college education improve generalist skills and critical thinking? 

42:15 The composition of elite universities: 4 paths to admission 

48:12 What happened to meritocracy? 

51:48 Hard versus Soft career tracks 

54:43 Cognitive elite at Ivies vs state flagship universities 

57:11 What happened to Caltech?