How close is the worst case scenario?: Crash Course Futures of AI #3

Way back in the 1930s, Alan Turing gave us a glimpse of the power of computers with a hypothetical machine that, he said, could solve any computable problem. But that was nonsense…right?

Well thanks to recursive progress, maybe not. In this episode, we’ll explore how humans (and computers) make progress, and try to find out just how powerful AI could become.

About This Series:
AI is changing FAST so rather than doing a full Crash Course series of 12+ episodes, we’ve prepared a mini-series of just the basics. Crash Course will never tell you what to think and we’re not the type of organization that responds to breaking news in real time. Instead, we’re here to offer a zoomed-out foundation upon which to base your own opinions as you continue to learn from other outlets about the world that’s changing around us.

Crash Course: Futures of AI will cover:
-What even is AI? What’s the history of this thing and how quickly has it evolved to what exists today?
-How could AI transform society? Will AI cause the next Industrial Revolution, and what might that mean for workers and the environment?
-How powerful could AI become? How do we measure the progression of AI? What are the consequences we’re already seeing, and what might be the future consequences of unchecked AI development?
-How might powerful AI cause harm? We’ll touch on copyright infringement, misinformation, surveillance, authoritarianism, and (unfortunately,) more.
-How could AI be governed? What are the potential approaches for controlling AI both nationally and internationally?

P.S. Wondering if we used AI to create this series? Nope! Every Complexly video is lovingly, painstakingly human-made.

Intro 00:00
Chapter 1: Progress is recursive 00:57
Chapter 2: Google AlphaEvolve 02:08
Chapter 3: Superintelligence 06:58
Chapter 4: How close are we to superintelligence /actually/? 9:53
Conclusion 11:50

Sources: https://docs.google.com/document/d/16br0e73KFVD5qu-VEBV40yQTpBiX0l65EgWQ6Q7Fz-k/edit?usp=sharing

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Post from Crash Course on December 03, 2025

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