Till now, I haven’t been a fan of billionaire businessperson Mark Cuban. I put him in the identical group as many billionaires who prioritize getting even wealthier over every part, together with their households. Nonetheless, primarily based on what I noticed final week, I couldn’t have been extra mistaken about Mark Cuban.
Jon Stewart, who usually does a greater job of interviewing than most journalists, had Cuban as a visitor on “The Day by day Present.” One factor Cuban talked about was that he wasn’t chasing the following huge energy journey however was targeted as an alternative on attending to know his children and grandkids higher. I want extra of the parents in his wealth class would come to this willpower as it might profit not solely their households however the world.
Whereas Cuban and Stewart began on politics, they moved on to AI. I observe AI intently, and what they mentioned about it was dead-on right: We have to obtain a stability between pursuing this expertise responsibly and assuring that our foes won’t higher develop it and put the whole human race in danger.
Let’s speak about AI, then shut with my Product of the Week: Mark Cuban’s medication provide firm that operates underneath the idea of “open and clear,” an concept that has caught hearth in tech however stands in opposition to individuals being charged unreasonable costs for his or her medicines.
Cuban’s agency, Value Plus Medication, is absolutely clear and may promote medicine profitably for tens of {dollars} that different firms cost hundreds for. An instance given was a drug sometimes costing $30,000 per thirty days that Value Plus Medication sells for $64.
Gen Z and AI
Like me, Stewart and Cuban are child boomers. Additionally, like me, it’s clear to them that almost all boomers won’t solely be unable to make use of AI successfully but in addition don’t perceive it properly sufficient to guard us from its misuse.
Mark argued that Era Z, born between 1997 and 2012, would probably be the primary technology to completely settle for AI for its potential and be finest capable of develop efficient guardrails round its use. The youngest of that group is simply 12 years outdated now, whereas the oldest is 27 and simply beginning their careers.
Granted, subsequent generations can even have this capacity, however they’re, as but, too younger to have an effect earlier than the risks of AI are more likely to overwhelm us. So, Era Z ought to have the understanding, capacity, and timing to make sure that AI helps the human race and doesn’t destroy it.
I want them the most effective of luck as a result of this can be something however simple. It was a tad miserable that he identified that our age group went from “intercourse, medicine, and rock & roll to Fox Information,” which isn’t one thing I need to be remembered for, however that’s, sadly, sort of correct.
We Can’t Simply Shut Down AI
There was an enormous push by some tech leaders to “pause” AI growth. I believed this effort was silly as a result of when you have got a expertise that has the potential to redefine the world and the character of labor globally, not to mention redefine weapons by making them extra lethal, there is no such thing as a energy on earth that will be robust sufficient to cease its growth.
In the event you pause AI growth domestically, it should merely imply the following conflict you enter can be your final, given that you just wouldn’t survive it. Just like nuclear weapons, you may get guarantees to cease growth, however in actuality, it might proceed underground, and also you’d by no means really cease it.
Cuban was on message right here, indicating it was important for the nation that we aggressively develop AI, but in addition indicating that relatively than stopping it, the trouble ought to be on assuring the accountable growth and use of the expertise — one thing that, once more, boomers aren’t as much as doing.
We Don’t Know The place AI Is Going
Cuban was additionally right in noting that we’ve no clear thought the place generative AI is headed as a result of it’s nonetheless so new. With the arrival of synthetic common intelligence (AGI), which could possibly be way more highly effective and cheaper to develop, this uncertainty is especially harmful. That’s why it’s essential to have some type of monitoring and applicable safeguards in place.
The excellent news is that the U.S. dominates this expertise for now, which is significant to protection and enterprise. Cuban feels that it’s a constructive proper now, which I agree with, however it may be extraordinarily harmful.
Stewart identified that this expertise may harm labor swimming pools, jobs, and even firms.
Cuban reiterated that the best people to arrange these guardrails are those that grew up with this expertise and may higher perceive methods to regulate the risks whereas not limiting innovation. If that is achieved incorrectly, we could face an issue we will’t mitigate, or one other nation could develop one which we will’t counter.
Cuban praised the Chips and Science Act as an excellent first step however not a remaining step as a result of it’s targeted primarily on assuring the U.S. may preserve manufacturing important mass ought to a battle outcome. Nonetheless, it doesn’t but handle the guardrail drawback. He implied that the present congress is under-skilled in taking the risk as severely accurately or understanding methods to create a balanced method in order that the treatment isn’t worse than the issue.
Wrapping Up
In the event you get an opportunity to watch the video of Stewart’s dialog with Cuban, bear in mind it begins with some political opinion. The AI dialogue begins about midway by way of the interview.
From this easy-to-understand commentary, you’ll be taught a bit about the place we’re with AI and the place we must be. It balances the promise with the danger of AI and makes an honest case that we must always handle AI in a approach that doesn’t gradual innovation besides the place it’d create unacceptable dangers.
It additionally raises the specter of what may occur if a hostile overseas authorities develops this expertise to do hurt and loses management of it. One factor neither Stewart nor Cuban absolutely addressed was the idea of an AI Defend and the important nature of getting it in place earlier than some overseas or unlawful home entity creates one thing that none of our current defensive applied sciences can defend in opposition to.
Jon Stewart and Mark Cuban strengthened my perception that we’re removed from prepared for the approaching AI wave. Whereas it might be principally useful at first, we lack adequate safeguards to make sure it stays that approach. I want I had higher information.
Value Plus Medication
I don’t find out about you, however each time I learn a narrative concerning the value of medicines worldwide, I get pissed. A lot of the event happens within the U.S., the place we additionally pay the very best costs for the outcome, despite the fact that our taxes usually subsidize the event of the associated unaffordable drug.
Individuals shouldn’t must resolve between medicine, meals, or shelter. The price of some medicines is simply nuts. Cuban and his staff at Value Plus Medication made his pricing open so you possibly can see what they paid for the drug, the markup (15%), the knowledgeable cost (typically nominal), and any extra prices behind the worth.
Examples from the Value Plus Medication web site embody:
- Imatinib: Retail Worth $2,502.50 | $13.40 at Value Plus Medication
- Abiraterone Acetate: Retail Worth $1,093.20 | $26.90 at Value Plus Medication
- Mesalamine: Retail Worth $766.80 | $28.70 at Value Plus Medication
Bear in mind that these are generic options for Gleevec, Zytiga, and Canasa. Do you really want to spend hundreds further for a model? A listing of what Value Plus Medication offers may be discovered right here.
Extreme income and excessive drug prices are killing individuals who can’t afford them. Value Plus Medication can ship medicine at a fraction of the price of most pharmacies, even Costco, which is likely one of the most reasonably priced. Eliminating the waste and offering important medicine at way more reasonably priced costs would considerably impression the standard of life for many who can’t afford insurance coverage. It will make medical insurance inexpensive, and for firms that pay for well being protection, it might minimize their prices massively with no identifiable draw back.
Value Plus Medication is forcing different suppliers to rethink their costs or lose income, which has a major downward impact on total drug pricing. They’re additionally engaged on a challenge to completely “open” all well being care pricing so you possibly can, as an example, select your hospital primarily based on a aggressive price comparability that would prevent a whole lot of hundreds of {dollars} in overcharged well being prices.
Getting medication prices right down to reasonably priced ranges is important to our high quality of life. Since Value Plus Medication does that, it’s my Product of the Week. Mark Cuban simply grew to become my new tech hero.
