A few weeks ago, I brought up the topic of computing and Artificial Intelligence but it seemed somewhat unrelated to the Anthropocene as a whole. After seeing “Journey of the Universe,” I believe I can make the connection now. Brianne Swimme made a point similar to my favorite quotes from Carl Sagan that humans are a manifestation of the universe’s thought. Specifically, we collectively form the network or the conscious Earth yet ironically, we are not all conscious of what we are doing to Gaia. Throughout this course, it seems like a repeating narrative that human society as a whole needs to undergo a drastic transformation in order to be sustainable. A transformation away from consumerism and capitalist ideologies, and towards a more need based culture.
On my first post I brought up the topic of AI and computing but it seemed unrelated to the Anthropocene as a whole. However, I now see a connection. I see two ways society can go with the power that will come with AI. The first and more dark path is where the inventors of AI mechanize their respective industries and the human owner of the AI is allowed to profit from it with little tax or pay, thus laying off many workers and increasing the already massive wealth disparity. This trend will just increase the degree to which our governments tend towards plutocracy. It is this world that I fear will keep humanity in its unsustainable spiral towards collapse, where the rich will survive and the poor suffer the most damage.
The other world I can imagine is the world where governments keep up with policing technology via policy. Profits from AI and fully automated work will go to the government or people as a whole, redistributing wealth among all not unlike socialism, but also differing quite a bit. This society could see the end of the modern conception of a job. It may look something like Finland’s new unemployment venture where people without a job are giving a basic wage from the government unconditionally. People are free to follow whatever passion they please whether it be artistic or intellectual. Such a society seems idealistic and far fetched, but in the peak of human innovation, who knows what society will look like just 50 years from now. I just hope that governments can keep up in moderating these technologies and funnel their purpose towards a more sustainable and balanced world.
Here is an article on the new Finland unemployment system being tested: https://www.economist.com/news/business-and-finance/21723759-experiment-effect-offering-unemployed-new-form