I've been thinking since I read this post that I write too much with the implicit assumption that people's choices are either to accept AI tech or to fight it. That Manichean framing doesn't fit the lives of real people, who are more likely to take the tech and make it their own, as much as they can. Ie, not a supine "yes" to AI nor a self-denying "no," but rather, "yes, but on my terms." Creating/preserving a space for that is maybe the right kind of resistance to brotopian schemes.
God knows there are a lot of people designing robotics systems who very much *don't* want to create a top-down, hyper-surveilled, efficiency maximizing hellscape --- people who are thinking seriously about how to make AI and robots that promote human flourishing. How well their hopes cross over from universities into the world of gov't and business, I don't know.
But I certainly agree we in "media" have to do more than presenting AI as something to either accept or fight. A trap to be avoided. So I was glad to learn about this work.
I agree David. I think the media is turning AI into a slugfest. What's needed - as with all potentially transformative technologies - is more nuance and exploration of intermediate ground. The event I went to actually didn't say much about how exactly AI might help with an "abolitionist" agenda - but i did appreciate very much that the people there wanted to try to think about that. I do hope the robot makers will find uses for human flourishing.
I've been thinking since I read this post that I write too much with the implicit assumption that people's choices are either to accept AI tech or to fight it. That Manichean framing doesn't fit the lives of real people, who are more likely to take the tech and make it their own, as much as they can. Ie, not a supine "yes" to AI nor a self-denying "no," but rather, "yes, but on my terms." Creating/preserving a space for that is maybe the right kind of resistance to brotopian schemes.
God knows there are a lot of people designing robotics systems who very much *don't* want to create a top-down, hyper-surveilled, efficiency maximizing hellscape --- people who are thinking seriously about how to make AI and robots that promote human flourishing. How well their hopes cross over from universities into the world of gov't and business, I don't know.
But I certainly agree we in "media" have to do more than presenting AI as something to either accept or fight. A trap to be avoided. So I was glad to learn about this work.
I agree David. I think the media is turning AI into a slugfest. What's needed - as with all potentially transformative technologies - is more nuance and exploration of intermediate ground. The event I went to actually didn't say much about how exactly AI might help with an "abolitionist" agenda - but i did appreciate very much that the people there wanted to try to think about that. I do hope the robot makers will find uses for human flourishing.