The neuronal densities in the telencephalon exceed those observed in the cerebral cortex of primates by a factor of 2-8.
This is curious. I wonder if bird brains are also more energy efficient as a result of the greater neuronal densities (since that implies shorter wires). According to Ratio of central nervous system to body metabolism in vertebrates: its constancy and functional basis the metabolism of the brain of Corvus sp (unknown species of genus Corvus, which includes the ravens) is 0.52 cm^3 O2/min whereas the metabolism of the brain of a macaque monkey is 3.4 cm^3 O2/min. Presumably the macaque monkey has more non-cortical neurons which account for some the difference, but this still seems impressive if the Corvus sp and macaque monkey have a similar number of telencephalic/cortical neurons (1.4B for the macaque according to this paper). Unfortunately I can't find the full paper of the abstract you linked to to check the details.
I wonder if bird brains are also more energy efficient as a result of the greater neuronal densities (since that implies shorter wires).
Yes - that seems to be the point of that poster I found earlier.
From an evolutionary point of view it makes sense - birds are under tremendous optimization pressure for mass efficiency. Hummingbirds are a great example of how far evolution can push flight and weight efficiency.
Primate/human brains also appear to have more density optimization than say elephants or cetaceans, but it is interesting that birds are even so...
At some point soon, I'm going to attempt to steelman the position of those who reject the AI risk thesis, to see if it can be made solid. Here, I'm just asking if people can link to the most convincing arguments they've found against AI risk.
EDIT: Thanks for all the contribution! Keep them coming...