7 Comments
User's avatar
Stephen Fitzpatrick's avatar

I was thinking about writing something similar, but I can't say it as well or with as much breadth as this. The assumption from the huge tech behemoths is that AI is something that, if we don't all want it, will be grateful to have (think along the lines of the Steve Job's quote - apocryphal or not - "People don't know what they want until you show it to them") and as amazing as the tools are, someone needs to put on the brakes but we can't possibly expect the companies to police themselves with so much money at stake.

Expand full comment
The One Percent Rule's avatar

Thank you so much Stephen. You have hit on the exact tension I was trying to explore. That Steve Jobs quote is the perfect summary of the tech ethos, and while it's great for creating desirable gadgets, it's dangerous when applied to society's foundational infrastructure.

You are completely right: it's not about 'putting on the brakes' on innovation, but about ensuring everyone has a hand on the steering wheel. And the idea that companies will police themselves against their own financial interests is precisely the naive assumption we need to challenge. Thanks for adding such a clear and insightful point to the conversation.

Expand full comment
Winston Smith London Oceania's avatar

It seems to me the AI overlords are paraphrasing Jobs' quote to read more along the lines of "People don't know what they want until you force it on them".

Expand full comment
Tom White's avatar

Amen. Pandora is out of the box and never going back in. That’s why guardrails are so important. Here’s some work. I’m involved in at the intersection of Catholicism and AI: https://www.baif.ai

Expand full comment
Winston Smith London Oceania's avatar

Assuming it's not already too late to put up guardrails.

Expand full comment
Winston Smith London Oceania's avatar

One thing is for sure, this is a job far to big for github.

The other thing is that, sadly, under the current regime, I don't think we can expect much in the way of desperately needed government intervention.

Between political fascism and technological fascism, we're dealing with a multi-threaded monster.

Expand full comment