Recently, I was asked what single question or concern is most load-bearing in how I think about AI’s effects on humanity.
My response was:
A flourishing humanity is one that allows for the self development and actualisation of all humans. Everyone progresses at different rates, with environmental considerations at play, but a fair baseline playing field without fee or prejudice allows for a maximally advancing humanity.
My personal philosophy adheres to Hanzi Freinacht’s “political metamodernism”, which identifies, among other things; human development, multi-polar coalition building, and the use of a “wellbeing index” rather than GDP to measure human progress. In this way, it directly advocates for human flourishing as a political program.
To this end, ensuring that all of humanity has basic physical survival needs met without a punishing regime of labour will free us all to not only pursue our potential but engage in collective self governance as a species. Therefore I place “fair compensation for displaced workers” as the most beneficial intervention, although I choose to read it more broadly as being applied regardless of source, whether AI based automation or otherwise. This collective governance will allow us to also make meaningful decisions about the future of AI without the interference of major corporations and wealthy interest groups that occasionally act without pro-human interests in mind.
My second priority is therefore detecting disinformation. Although targetting AI based synthetic media, it’s likely that this would also apply more broadly – all political, ideological or anti-humanist disinformation could be identified and memetic defences developed. This would support #1 by improving the quality and directionality of collective human self-governance.
Thirdly, it is evident that a flourishing humanity requires strong consideration of human desires and values. Although this implies human primacy, it does not necessitate it. Consideration for the moral worth of sentient AI and animals can and should also occur alongside a flourishing humanity – however we must be able to identify and be transparent about where misalignment could or would occur.