REG Chairman Adriano Mannino: Why You Should be Worried About Computers Taking Over the World

Lee Davy sits down with Adriano Mannino, Chairman and co-founder or Raising for Effective Giving, to discuss their recent presentation during the World Series of Poker, why more people don’t give to charity, and their interest in the rise of artificial intelligence.

When Carnegie Mellon’s computer Claudico took on poker’s finest in a series of heads-up matches, the poker community put down their controllers, stopped playing Super Mario World and were enthralled.

Adriano Mannino, Chairman and co-founder of the non-profit organization Raising for Effective Giving (REG) wasn’t enthralled. He was worried. When he gazed at the contest he saw an algorithm that would never stop learning, then the controllers started moving, Mario and Luigi were kicking Bowser’s butt, and there wasn’t a human being in sight.

I caught up with the sharp-suited effective altruist to talk about the progress of the REG movement, why Elon Musk has given $10m to a research unit created to look into the safety aspects of artificial intelligence, and why I have used a Super Mario World metaphor.