Do you think money does something to the brain?

Recently I watched some rich guys talk about all the great work they’re doing for humanity. But they seemed unaware of the humans outside of their tech bubble. It got me thinking there might be some level of net worth that disrupts your connection to reality. Is it even possible to help humanity if you don’t acknowledge all of it? They spent a lot of time discussing future humanity. Maybe I don’t make enough money to mentally separate the humanity now from the humanity of the future. I can’t afford to think they are two different things.

I only watched a couple of the Davos talks. There was some other noteworthy news taking place this week; it’s been difficult to focus. I thought the conversation with Amodei and Hassabis was an important one. The topic was supposed to be the day after AGI, but they never got around to discussing it. Instead they focused on the advancements they hope to make in the immediate future. ASAP. Hassabis mentioned they are so busy building the machines, they haven’t had the time to determine what they are capable of. Amodei published his essay about the benefits of AI before the negatives because it was easier and more fun for him to write. I’m glad he’s having a good time. I wish I shared their optimism about what’s in store for us, but I have trouble trusting their judgement. As they power forward, they seem unaware of the problems left in their wake.

And then there was Elon—an adult man who made the adult man decisions that earned him a mediocre ovation as he took the stage. Larry Fink chastised the audience on Elon’s behalf, as if he were a small, bullied child. The two of them talked a lot about future humanity, too.

It’s fun to wax poetic about what humanity could be if we just let the smart guys with money enact all their plans without any checks on their power. What if everything goes right like Amodei let himself wonder? Things could be great. The only problem is they’re not great, and it seems the harder we push for a utopian future, the worse things get in the now.

Is there any consideration for the conditions the current version of humanity has to live through during their trials and errors? Did they predict that a by-product of the mental health crisis would be a large percentage of the population turning to their unconditionally affirming chat bots for bad therapy? What about the use of our limited energy for the creation of millions of hyper realistic puppy pictures for all our Aunts to like? Are there any reservations about authoritarian leaders using their tech to modernized and proliferate Nazi propaganda? Do they care that the fabric of reality is unraveling? They still haven’t figured out why their last tech innovation that was supposed to connect us all has left us feeling lonelier than ever.

I wish I was angry at them over all of it. It would be easier to be angry. Instead I am baffled at their obtuseness. I can’t imagine a world where I would (with a straight face) come out on the world’s stage and propose that my “safe and reliable” humanoid robots should provide an abundance of goods and services at the same time my company is defending it’s right to create deep fake pornography of unwilling women and children. I think before we move any further we should all get clear of what we mean by “safe.” I don’t speak for everyone, but I don’t need a robot to compile my grocery list if there’s a risk it might rape me because it learned about an 18th century cure for hysteria on Wikipedia. What I do need is quality healthcare and education for myself and my neighbors. I don’t see the robots filling those gaps. I’m don’t think I can trust my grandmother’s medication dosage to something that can’t tell me how many r’s are in the word strawberry.

In the early 1900s the Quebec Bridge collapsed twice during construction, killing a total of 85 people. It was determined that the collapses were caused by an error in the judgement by the engineers who designed it. In the 100 years since, graduating engineers in Canada are given an Iron Ring to commemorate the event and symbolize the humility and fallibility of the profession. The engineers who wear one are expressing their commitment to ethical standards and public safety. I think we need a similar ceremony before we hand over the keys to the code in Silicon Valley. It may not be as fun to think through an essay on what happens if your technology fails, but it’s imperative you do it before you start building the bridge.