AI maximalists and the danger of social Darwinism

🌈 Abstract

The article discusses the debate around the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) and the notion that people must "embrace AI or be left behind." It argues that this ultimatum is rooted in social Darwinist ideology and threatens to subjugate humanity to the whims of amoral algorithms, while ignoring the immense perils and dislocations that an AI-dominated future may bring, especially for the most vulnerable members of society.

🙋 Q&A

[01] "Embrace AI or be left behind"

1. What are the key issues discussed regarding the "embrace AI or be left behind" mantra?

• The article argues that this mantra is a condescending and heartless idea rooted in long-debunked notions of social Darwinism.
• It threatens to subjugate humanity to the whims of an amoral algorithm and waves away the immense perils and dislocations that await us in an AI-dominated future.
• The article suggests that the "embrace AI or else" ethos conveniently ignores the fact that artificial intelligence is a product of human choices and values, not a divine force of nature.

2. How does the article characterize the proponents of the "embrace AI or be left behind" message?

• Futurists, tech moguls, and AI acolytes are described as preaching the gospel of AI supremacy with evangelical zeal, dismissing dissenters as Luddites.
• The article argues that the tech billionaires, computer scientists, and corporations developing AI are not the ones who will become "obsolete" in this brave new world, but rather the most vulnerable members of society.

3. What is the author's proposed alternative to the "embrace AI or be left behind" mindset?

• The article suggests that we have the power to shape the development and deployment of AI systems by our deepest-held principles and aspirations.
• It calls for a massive mobilization of political will and civic engagement to create an AI-powered future that empowers and benefits humanity as a whole, not just the privileged few.

[02] Social Darwinism and the AI Ultimatum

1. How does the article connect the "embrace AI or be left behind" mantra to social Darwinist ideology?

• The article explains that the AI ultimatum is steeped in social Darwinist ideology, the pseudo-scientific notion that human societies are governed by a "survival of the fittest" evolutionary logic.
• It argues that this thinking, long discredited by mainstream science, has made a comeback among certain tech elites, who are peddling a new version of social Darwinism dressed up in the jargon of "disruption" and "creative destruction."

2. What are the key criticisms the article makes of the social Darwinist underpinnings of the AI ultimatum?

• The article states that the social Darwinist ideology behind the AI ultimatum is a "condescending and heartless idea" that threatens to subjugate humanity to the whims of an amoral algorithm.
• It argues that this thinking "conveniently ignores" the fact that AI is a human construct, and that we have the power to shape its development and deployment.

3. How does the article propose to counter the social Darwinist influence on AI development and deployment?

• The article calls for a "massive mobilization of political will and civic engagement" to create an AI-powered future that empowers and benefits humanity as a whole, not just the privileged few.
• It emphasizes the need for democratic oversight and control over robust AI systems and the tech corporations developing them, in order to put technology in service of human flourishing rather than vice versa.