Hardcoded: AI and the End of the Scientific Consensus by Vox Day

Review by Perrin Lovett

 

The role of artificial intelligence, and even its existence, is a contentious subject. A pledge is circulating, with authors vowing not to use the new technology in their writing. To your reviewer, this idea sounds like vowing not to use dictionaries or word processors. Still, the pledge, proposed by well-meaning folks, essentially boils down to a fear of losing tradition and authenticity to “The Machine.” That fear, as applied to the brighter and more creative, is misplaced. In Hardcoded, Vox Day explains why.

(© Castalia)

Day, Vox, Hardcoded: AI and the End of the Scientific Consensus, Switzerland: Castalia, 2026 (Kindle Ed.) 

Hardcoded, available from Amazon, builds on and illustrates the processes behind Probability Zero and The Frozen Gene. Day again collaborates with the venerable Claude Athos in this new tour de force that serves as an explanation of how those previous titles were researched, written, and stress-tested, along with breaking new and inspiring ground. The main thrust of Hardcoded is exactly what its subtitle states. “Consensus,” like “consent,” derives from the Latin word consentire, meaning “agreed upon.” Consensus does not necessarily equal correctness and, in the world of scientific academia today, it may, in fact, mean the opposite. 

Peer review does not mean what most assume it does: it is about maintaining orthodoxy within the system rather than seeking the truth. Day provides example after example, from multiple disciplines, proving this point. Artificial intelligence, properly utilized, provides a working alternative to the converged, illogical, and collapsing status quo.

While Hardcoded primarily concerns science and mathematical accuracy, it has ramifications for many varied fields and endeavors. In fact, it has the potential to restore the very same traditional freedom that the aforementioned pledgers fear is being lost. As Day notes, on page 211, “AI turbocharges the creative human mind. … Once the human provides direction, AI provides velocity.” The trick is learning to use the new tools, and Day’s book is a crash course in doing that. Chapter 17, “The Unshackled Mind,” is of particular interest. Day presents a list of men who achieved great things, finding that one thing they all had in common was relative freedom to think and work. He notes that the modern university system corrals and neuters that freedom. Artificial intelligence cures the anomaly, “restoring the historical pattern in which talent plus freedom, not talent plus institution, produces the work that changes how we understand the world.” See page 254.

Appendix 3 is a fascinating short study of the implications of A.I. collaboration on a human user’s IQ: it may provide a boost of one to one-and-one-half standard deviations. “AI does not democratize genius. It amplifies what is already there.” See page 250.

A.I. is not for everyone, and many won’t make use of it. Like any tool, some will misuse it. Yet others will harness it for good works. For those who still have questions about what the technology can do and how to properly use it, all they have to do is read Hardcoded. Pledge to do that if you will.