Sam Altman's Vision for Open AI? “Make Society Richer.” – Ashley ...
Stop children—what’s that sound? Everybody look what’s going down… Buffalo Springfield’s words are worthless to Americans these days. No one is looking around—we’re all looking down, at our phones screens. Unaware of the world around us. Feeling we are in our own. Is the web a world of its own? Is it real—as in, comparable to nature—being that it was made by man? To me, the answer is no. Tech is much younger than the planet. It, like you and me, are specks of dust on the timeline of the universe. We will come and go as the dinosaurs did. And this is why I say: the web is no match for nature.
Life is the soul’s relationship to nature, Emerson said. So what becomes of the soul when its vessel spends all its time online? Will humans turn into robots? Are we already on our way? Beep… boop… beep… Just kidding. But AI will take our jobs, and lots of them, said OpenAI CEO Sam Altman at a live podcast taping of Hard Fork in San Francisco last week. “I do think there will be areas where some jobs go away, or maybe there will be some whole categories of jobs that go away.”
The worst part of this was—he had no shame. He was like, so what? In his vision, the poor of the world will lose their jobs to AI and get more poor, while the rich will capitalize on the tech and make more money. It’s a win-win, right? WRONG. Altman, arguably the biggest name in AI, is single handedly pushing the promise of a vastly less equal world. Not that we weren’t already on our way there—thanks capitalism—but AI is likely hitting the gas.
Altman's Vision for the Future
Don’t believe me? Altman laid out his vision for how AI will help the world: “Society will get way richer.” Yes, he really said that. I implore you to listen or watch the taping. It’s quite telling—and the story shared is bleak. Gone are the days when Americans sought to get to know one’s neighbor. When we cherished the qualities of empathy, humility, and compassion. Today’s technoverse seeks only three things: money, sex, and power. It’s a fitting time for such a societal shift—with Donald Trump at the helm of the country. Does he understand the power of AI? Without a doubt, yes, Altman said. More so than Harris or Biden would have, he added.
No wonder he loves Trump… just another greedy man with one dream in life: to make more money. They are more in sync than the eponymous 90s pop group, NSYNC. Even so, Altman, during the interview, asked U.S. legislators to write a bill to regulate the industry. Seems counterintuitive when you read it in tandem with the last line—he sides with Trump for being anti-regulation, but wants Congress to regulate the industry? I’d say he’s saving face. Altman—as does the world—knows AI needs guardrails. But due to Washington’s innate inertia, a bill is unlikely to happen—let alone pass.
Conclusion
Now, just because this is bad news doesn’t mean you need to have a bad day. Fighting cynicism with cynicism is futile. Go out and greet the sunshine with a smile. Lounge in the grass. Feel the sweat on your skin. Wallow in the real world—while you still can.
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
Tags: Ashley Elizabeth Miller
