After posting about injustice in AI last week, I want to bring AI (and myself) back to a place of optimism and hope.
I listened to a recent episode of The On Being Project in which Krista Tippet interviewed Reid Hoffman, a co-founder of LinkedIn. In the episode, he mentioned how technology has created a superpower amongst our species.
The printing press has given humans the superpower of information sharing.
The compass has given humans a superpower of navigation.
The light bulb has given humans a superpower of light in darkness.
Eye glasses have given humans a superpower of sight.
And now, as we enter the age of AI, we have a new superpower to recreate our social systems.
As an "amplification intelligence, a steam engine of the mind... this technology will add to our intellectual, creative, and emotional capabilities," Hoffman argues.
I believe that by raising a collective awareness about the incredible potential of this technology, while also acknowledging the potential perils, we can move forward towards a common good.
Let's harness this technology for a positive social impact, so we can use it to "elevate our own humanity" as Hoffman so eloquently put it.