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Time of India
06-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Long before ChatGPT, this Nobel Laureate helped AI think like humans; not by mimicking our intelligence, but our stupidity
In an era dominated by ChatGPT and Siri, few know that the roots of artificial intelligence trace back to a Nobel Prize–winning economist who spent decades dissecting human errors . Herbert A. Simon , acclaimed for redefining decision-making, not only exposed our psychological blind spots but also seeded the field of AI more than 70 years ago. The Nobel Prize That Began with Human Error Herbert Simon, awarded the 1978 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, challenged the prevailing economic philosophy of 'homo economicus'—the idea that humans always make perfectly rational choices. Through his groundbreaking research in the 1950s, Simon introduced the concept of bounded rationality , arguing that our decisions are inherently limited by time, information, and cognitive capacity. Unlike traditional models assuming full knowledge and optimal choices, Simon revealed the truth: people often opt for options that are merely "good enough." From 'Perfect' to Satisficing: Rewriting Decision Theory Simon coined the term satisficing—a fusion of "satisfy" and "suffice"—to describe our tendency to choose the first viable option rather than the optimal one. This human shortcut explains everyday choices: clicking "Next" to Terms and Conditions without browsing or buying a product after glancing at reviews. Bounded rationality and satisficing debunked the myth of human rationality and laid the foundation for behavioral economics and choice architecture. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Ogni uomo dovrebbe possedere queste scarpe comode Acquista Ora Undo Pioneering AI Through Realistic Human Models Years before modern AI, Simon believed computers could replicate human thinking—flaws included. Alongside Allen Newell in the 1950s, he co-developed the Logic Theory Machine and the General Problem Solver, early AI programs that mimicked human problem-solving. These efforts proved that machines could emulate our intuitive, heuristic-based processes rather than merely perform flawless calculations. Simon viewed cognition as something messy, intuitive, and 'good enough'—the very elements we see in today's AI tools. — ArinahZainordin (@ArinahZainordin) Bridging Cognitive Limits and Machine Intelligence Simon believed intelligent systems needed to reflect human limitations, not surpass them. His insights inspired current AI design principles, including simple user interfaces, smart defaults, and behavioral nudges. These echo his view that clarity, not complexity, drives decisions. As summarized by Investopedia, Simon's career 'established the foundations of modern behavioral economics and artificial intelligence research' through his work on bounded rationality and machine modeling. You Might Also Like: Sapiens author Yuval Noah Harari warns about the rise of autonomous intelligence: 'AI is not a tool, it is an agent' Why Simon Still Matters in the Age of AI AI today often focuses on optimization and unfettered data analysis. Simon's work remains crucial, reminding us that superior algorithms must account for human constraints. His blend of psychology and computer science reshaped how we understand both decision-making and AI's role in decision support—what we now call decision intelligence . Choosing the Easy Yes Simon's legacy emphasizes simplicity. Instead of presenting endless options, designers are urged to make decisions easy to accept. Want people to buy? Offer the best choice up front. Need users to act? Pick the simplest path for them. Simon's lessons on simplicity and human behavior echo across tech, economics, and everyday life. Herbert A. Simon (1916–2001), a professor at Carnegie Mellon University , reshaped multiple fields—from economics and psychology to computer science. His 1947 work Administrative Behavior and 1956 papers launched ideas that would later make AI empathic to human limitations. Awarded both the Turing Award (1975) and Nobel Prize (1978), Simon was a pioneer who didn't just theorize human error—he turned it into the blueprint for smart machines and systems that truly reflect how we think. You Might Also Like: Legendary sci-fi writer's chilling AI prediction resurfaces: 'Robots will turn organic as humans become machines'
The Intercept
15-04-2025
- Business
- The Intercept
Nobel Winner Joseph Stiglitz Denounces Columbia's Apparent Capitulation to Trump
Support Us © THE INTERCEPT ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Columbia University professor Joseph Stiglitz at a campus protest, on April 14, 2025, in New York City. Photo: Meghnad Bose Nobel Prize-winning economist Joseph Stiglitz, one of Columbia University's most renowned professors, denounced the institution where he has taught for more than two decades over its recent capitulations to the Trump administration. After Donald Trump withdrew some $400 million in federal funding from the university and issued a list of demands, Columbia entered negotiations that concluded with the school caving to pressure from the White House. Among other concessions, the school made concessions about faculty appointments and placing the Middle East studies department under review. 'I worry that our university may have capitulated to some of the demands coming out of the Trump administration,' Stiglitz told The Intercept on Monday. 'Academic freedom means that we have the right to criticize any government, anywhere, the American government or the government of any other country. We have to do it with decorum, conviction, and research, but the notion of academic freedom means that we have to maintain those rights.' Stiglitz reserved his harshest rhetoric for the attempts to deport current and recent Columbia students, including the arrests of Mahmoud Khalil on March 8 and Mohsen Mahdawi earlier Monday in Vermont. 'What is clear is that it appears that there's a pattern of intimidation,' he said, 'a pattern where they're trying to discourage people to protest, and a pattern that they're particularly going after Palestinians.' Speaking to The Intercept about the apparent struggle between protecting the university's academic independence versus the attempts to regain the $400 million in revoked federal funding, Stiglitz said, 'Obviously, the university cannot continue without money, but what is most important is academic freedom. If we lose our academic freedom, we have lost everything. And so at this moment, we have to decide what our priority is. To me, our priority is academic freedom and the defense of our community.' Stiglitz, 82, was awarded the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 2001 and was a lead author of the 1995 Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which shared the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. At Columbia, Stiglitz was named a university professor, the school's highest academic honor. Read our complete coverage What follows is a transcript from The Intercept's exclusive interview with Stiglitz, conducted in two parts at Columbia's campus. Joseph Stiglitz: So, I'm Joe Stiglitz, university professor. I teach at the Department of Economics in the Business School, and School of International and Public Affairs. I won the Nobel Prize in 2001. I've spent my life studying what makes for good societies, for good economies — and democracy is essential. An essential part of democracies is free media and strong universities. Strong universities are important because they provide the critique, to evaluate what governments are doing, to ascertain when there's an encroachment on democracies, to criticize it when they are doing things that are against the interests of people, when there are conflicts of interest. That's why anti-democratic forces always begin the attack on the media and on universities. And that's what's been happening in America today. Professors have been given the right of tenure. There's a reason for this tenure. It's about academic freedom, that we have the freedom to assess what is going on, to talk about it, talk out. But with that right comes obligations. And so, it is our obligation to talk about what is going on, how the attacks on science, on our students, are undermining not only Columbia University and universities throughout our country, but are undermining our democracy and our standing in the international community, and threaten the future of our democracy and of our economy. Meghnad Bose: Professor Stiglitz, could you answer the question, who is the university? Because a lot of questions are being raised as to how the university will respond if there's a consent decree that's demanded. Who is the university, according to you? JS: The university is a community. It is a community of students, scholars, researchers, where we have shared governance. Obviously, the ultimate responsibility is with the trustees, but the trustees have a fiduciary responsibility, and that fiduciary responsibility is not just about money. Obviously, the university cannot continue without money, but most important, most important is academic freedom. If we lose our academic freedom, we have lost everything. And so at this moment, we have to decide what our priority is. To me, our priority is academic freedom and the defense of our community. MB: Do you believe the university has capitulated to the Trump administration's demands? JS: I worry that our university may have capitulated to some of the demands coming out of the Trump administration. Academic freedom means that we have the right to criticize any government, anywhere, the American government or the government of any other country. We have to do it with decorum and conviction, research, but the notion of academic freedom means that we have to maintain those rights. MB: Professor, do you want to talk a little bit about these arrests and attempted deportations of Columbia students that have happened—first with Mahmoud Khalil on March 8, and the latest with Mohsen Mahdawi, who was arrested today, just minutes before we speak right now. 'There's a pattern of intimidation, a pattern where they're trying to discourage people to protest.' JS: I don't want to speak about each of the individual cases. What is clear is that it appears that there's a pattern of intimidation, a pattern where they're trying to discourage people to protest, and a pattern they're going after particularly Palestinians. Obviously, anybody concerned about democratic rights has to be concerned about this kind of intimidation. The most disturbing to me were some cases where people have been detained, sometimes with people without clear identity. And you realize then at that moment, that could have been you. These individuals' rights were abrogated. But if that had been me, my rights would have been abrogated. MB: Now, all of this is happening as part of the Trump administration's supposed fight against antisemitism on college and university campuses, but as part of the demands that the Trump administration laid out was the demand that the Middle Eastern, South Asian, and African Studies Department at Columbia be placed into academic receivership, essentially that the control of the department be placed outside the department, outside the faculty of the department, for a minimum of five years. Columbia, while not exactly agreeing word by word to that, effectively agreed to it by announcing that it would appoint a senior vice provost whose job primarily, first of all, would be to ensure 'fairness' and 'balance' in Middle Eastern studies. Do you see the federal government demanding this of a private university, and one department of a private university, without even substantiation as to why it's doing so as an impingement on academic freedom? JS: Very much so. It is a very big impingement. The withdrawal of funds from science without any due process, without proof of the allegations, with disproportionate responses to the allegations even were they proved, is clearly a violation. MB: Which allegations are you talking about? JS: Whatever the allegations that they put forward for discontinuing the science grant[s]. The question is, the law is fairly clear — that there are supposed to be hearings, there are supposed to be proportionate responses to violations. This is violating every one of them. MB: My final question is, do you feel satisfied with the way that the university administration has responded to the Trump administration over this past month and a half? 'Of all the institutions who have worked the hardest to undo discrimination have been our universities.' JS: I worry a lot that the concession on turning over oversight to a set of departments is a violation, a fundamental violation of academic freedom. I worry that what is being called antisemitism goes beyond what reasonable people would call antisemitism. All of us are concerned about antisemitism, just like we're concerned about xenophobia, discrimination against African Americans, discrimination in every form. But of all the institutions in our society that have worked hardest to deal with discrimination which is pervasive in our society against all, [in] many, many forms — but of all the institutions who have worked the hardest to undo discrimination have been our universities. And among the universities that has had a long history of fighting antisemitism has been Columbia University. So the charges do not ring through. MB: Thank you so much, professor. Join The Conversation
Yahoo
18-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Nobel Economist Warns How Donald Trump's Policies Could Spectacularly Crash
Nobel laureate economist Joseph Stiglitz called out President Donald Trump's economic policies, warning they risk causing stagflation — otherwise known as high inflation, rising unemployment and stagnant economic growth. In an interview published by The Guardian on Monday, Stiglitz also argued the United States is becoming 'a scary place to invest' because of Trump's mission to slash public spending, which is shredding established contracts with the government and prompting fears of the risks of doing business in America. Trump earlier this month announced a 25% tariff on imports from Canada and Mexico and 10% on those from China. The tariffs on Canada and Mexico were almost immediately paused but could still be reimposed in March. Last week, Trump unveiled reciprocal tariffs on other countries globally, with each nation's levy to be decided on an individual basis. 'Almost all economists agree that the tariffs will increase prices,' said Stiglitz, a professor at Columbia University and former World Bank chief economist who won the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 2001. 'I could certainly see a scenario where we get to stagflation –- we get inflation, and a weak economy,' he added. 'I cannot see a really robust economy, because I just see the global economy suffering so much from the uncertainty that Trump poses.' Paul Krugman, the winner of the 2008 Nobel Memorial Prize, expressed similar fears over Trump's plan 'to raise tariffs but cut taxes on high income' last month. A 'lot of people' who voted for Trump last year 'are going to get brutally scammed,' he warned. Last week, the annual inflation rate was reported to have risen by 3% in the three months since Trump's election win over Democratic rival Kamala Harris. Trump repeatedly during his 2024 campaign promised that he would bring down prices on the first day of his administration. Wall Street Journal Warns Trump Over Potential 'Historic Mistake' Trump's Daytona 500 Spectacle Fuels Accusations Of Double Standards 1 Of Trump's Most Infamous Photos Is Now Hanging Outside The Oval Office
Yahoo
27-01-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Paul Krugman Sounds Alarm On Donald Trump Policy That Will 'Spiral Out Of Control'
Famed economist Paul Krugman on Monday warned how Donald Trump's crackdown on undocumented immigrants is set 'to hobble food production and home construction' and will likely — contrary to Trump's campaign promises — send grocery prices soaring. Krugman, the winner of the 2008 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, explained in the latest issue of his Substack newsletter how the president's vows to hike tariffs and conduct mass deportations of undocumented immigrants will 'likely to do a great deal of economic damage.' But it's the targeting of immigrants that 'will spiral out of control,' he predicted. The current fear among immigrants ― amid the Trump White House's immigration enforcement blitz ― will have 'major consequences, with workers staying home or, if they can, going back to their home countries, with businesses laying off valuable employees for fear that they may be raided,' Krugman argued. Nearly 1,000 people were arrested on Sunday alone, reported CNN. Trump's second administration has nixed safe spots for migrants — such as schools and churches. The economist envisioned an increase in vigilantism against immigrants. And 'losing a large fraction of these workers would be a serious blow to the economy, especially because immigrants, legal and not, play a much bigger role in some industries and occupations than they do in the economy as a whole,' he said. Krugman last week warned that many Trump voters will be 'brutally scammed' when Trump introduces tariffs on goods imported into America. Read Krugman's full analysis . Trump Has Trumpiest Response To Kansas City Chiefs' 3rd Straight Super Bowl Lindsey Graham Draws MAGA Fury After Mildly Criticizing Trump Ex-White House Ethics Lawyer Accuses Trump Of 'Nakedly Illegal Action'
