Why AI Will Save the World | Andreessen Horowitz
Finally, this essay has a different viewpoint from all the doom and gloom that we are hearing about with AI. Always a reminder that when it comes to critical thinking, we need to make sure that we are seeing both sides of the coin. The ability for us to study all the different viewpoints is what ultimately allows us to draw conclusions that are fully informed and not just one-sided.
There’s a lot of good things in here, but there’s a few things that I would invite further discourse and consideration on, including:
The idea that AI will be able to present a machine version of infinite love. The reality is that when it comes to love, it is not some thing that a machine can possess. I would say there’s not a machine version of love at all. A machine can mimic, it can pretend, but true love and authentic love will never be the same as it is from a sentient organic being.
Another idea that is not addressed at all in his essay, is the fact that there is no such thing as morally neutral technology. What we know for certain, is that the architects that create the platforms and technologies we use are informing the moral compass and values of those systems. As a tech founder, who is directly responsible for the building and creation of such a platform, this is something that is consistently on my radar. For example, my personal values and beliefs are that privacy is a need and not just a human right.As I direct this company and our developers, that moral value is at play in every single way that you can imagine. One of the things that must be addressed, is that those who are behind providing the directions for any AI in different ways are also infusing it with their own morals and values. Sadly, this is something that I do not see enough tech creators, or founders ever discussing.
When it comes to his discussion around the fact that AI will create more jobs, and not less, I think he is missing a key and important element: and that is that in order to take advantage of this new technology, that one at a bare minimum must know how to read, and also how to engage with digital devices. He presents an argument that is distinctly an educated, western, viewpoint, and does not take into consideration, that we still have so many with no access to proper education, and even less access to the devices necessary to then become a fully engaged digital citizen. We need not look overseas to see this disparity. In the city of Detroit, there is a movement underway to try and bridge this gap, that in effect is creating second classed digital citizens.
Finally,, I do agree with the concerns about people using tools in nefarious ways that are opposite to their good intentions. This is something I often think about for our own platform. It’s also one of the responsibilities of tech leaders to put in the processes and systems to help safeguard against these situations. It’s not exclusive to technology,. All businesses with her products have the same challenge before them. It’s up to us to put the safety measures in place to ensure the greater good of everyone.
Enjoy this read. If you are interested in AI at all, it is an important one for you to study.
There's a full-blown moral panic about AI right now. But the real risk is losing the race to global AI technological superiority.
