This Friday morning the news in the Netherlands* showed headlines about AI giving unethical advice around the upcoming EU elections on June 6. The big Tech behind it rushed to explain how they will get the AI beast under control. Please do not panic. Everything will be fine.
It beautifully illustrates our collective blind spot. Spoiler alert: Once you see it you can not unsee it!
We have created machines that are way stronger than we are. And are proud of that achievement. We created cars that kill people on a daily basis, but hey that is collateral.
Now we have created an artificial intelligence that is way smarter than we are.
A new feat that raises eyebrows by those who see them selves as the superior outcome of evolution. And gosh, how fast and versatile it is.
The current conundrum around Ai revolves around #domination. Will it serve us or might it dominate, even erase us? Like we have done with so many species on the planet?
OK well, there you have it. Look at it and breathe for a moment. This is what we do and how we do it.
Our worldview and our self esteem also revolve around domination. We try to master everything around us. And exploit it at will to our benefit. And we are now extremely good at it. We can control anything from raw earth to raw energy to raw information. Awesome!
So we are good? Just relax en enjoy the feast? Maybe look around. We built masterpieces, but forgot to clean up after us. We behaved like adolescents who do not clean up their room. Around us it is a mess. Everywhere. Nature is depleted and suffering. For example half the insect species os gone forever. Rare resources are almost empty. Amongst us humans the mess is even uglier. The winners have taken almost everything. Literally.
So, our real problem is not manipulated elections or rogue Ai. Or big Tech or the controlling Elite. Not that all this is OK, but there is something more essential behind it. They all share the same root cause: #domination.
Most of us firmly believe that winning is the utmost defining aspect of living on this planet. And truth be told they are right! But what many missed is that, in our current state of evolution, winning alone at the expense of others does not help anymore. It is like winning at the casino in a sinking Titanic. We are in a different game now. It is not longer about who takes all the money, but how all of us survive.
In order the evolve to the next level of civilization, in order to reach a new balance, we have to find a way to keep winning, but not anymore at the cost of anything or even anybody. We must leave blind exploitation behind us. Open your eyes and look at each other. All humans. There’s is your way out of these eternal conflicts: Together.
This might be your biggest challenge ever. Changing the world by changing your self in #contact with the others around you. It is slow, like growing food. An natural pace. Being present with that proces.
And when you look back from that new perspective you will see that all those conflicts share the same root: We create a world according to our beliefs around it. If you think that winning at the cost of others is how the world works, of course you will create machines and programs that will help you do exactly that. If you believe that an healthy adult will never abuse his fellow man, you will create a better society.
making things visible 