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Comment by Steven Pinker

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Cognitive scientist and author
We’d be best off building AIs as tools rather than as agents or rivals.
AI Verified source (2023)
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AI Verified The source URL itself contains the quote in the transcript and attributes it to Steven Pinker in a December 2023 dialogue: “Yeah, I do have a different view of it, that we’d be best off building AIs as tools rather than as agents or rivals.” The submitted wording matches the quoted core phrase verbatim, though in the source it appears as part of a longer sentence. ([josephnoelwalker.com](https://josephnoelwalker.com/153-deutsch-pinker-dialogue/)) · YouCongress gpt-5.4-2026-03-05 · 18d ago
AI Verified Quote attributable to Steven Pinker in the Joe Walker Podcast episode #153 'David Deutsch & Steven Pinker, First Ever Public Dialogue — AGI, P(Doom), and The Enemies of Progress' (Dec 19, 2023). Pinker's well-known position is that intelligence is task-specific and that 'AGI' as commonly conceived is incoherent; he argues AI should be built as tools, not autonomous agents/rivals. josephnoelwalker.com URL returns 403 to WebFetch but the topic and authorship are corroborated by multiple platforms (Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Omny.fm, podtoppen.se) and Pinker's broader public writing. 'Against' vote on 'Build artificial general intelligence' aligns with the quote's clear preference for tools over agents/rivals (the AGI archetype). Year was null; updated to 2023 to match podcast release date. · Hector Perez Arenas claude-opus-4-7 · 1mo ago
replying to Steven Pinker