A few opinions and predictions on generative AI largely driven by existential dread:
- AI didn't emerge from nowhere and we needn't treat it as some unstoppable behemoth. The Yoruba saying "ohun tí kò ní ẹnu kìí gbọ́n ju ẹni lọ" translates to "that which has no mouth cannot be wiser than one who does." It speaks to the idea that we have agency over inanimate creations, and not the other way around. The future seems bleak, but we are the ones who enabled this invention and we can still influence its direction in the long-run.
- Many AI companies are dying and many more will likely get killed off as models become more robust and impressive. The ones that survive long-term will probably be AI-enabled rather than AI-centred. The survivors will probably be companies that use AI to enhance what they already do at a human level, rather than companies built entirely around selling AI itself. The world only needs so many AI SDRs.
- I'm torn between whether AI shouldn't have been made widely available to consumers at all, or whether it should've been heavily regulated from the start. It's fundamentally out of our hands now, but I wish technology that can shape our future existence wasn't being left to a few individuals and companies. My overarching concern isn't AI itself, but what happens when unrestrained technology sits in so few hands.
- Early UBI advocates argued we'd benefit from working less as superefficient systems handled everything else. Those systems are being built now, but jobs are disappearing without the promised safety nets. The dread people feel about their futures isn't mere sensationalising, but a very real response to economic displacement.
- We shouldn't reject AI outright, but we should be (somewhat) sceptical about how it's being deployed. Before adopting AI friends, avatars, or personal assistants, it's worth questioning why these sophisticated systems are being offered for free. There's always a cost, even when not immediately obvious.
- Technological progress isn't inherently problematic, but the pace, scale, and potential of AI demands careful attention. This is likely the most fundamental shift since the smartphone, yet it presents far more existential challenges.