Speed

“The development of full artificial intelligence could spell the end of the human race. It would take off on its own, and re-design itself at an ever increasing rate. Humans, who are limited by slow biological evolution, couldn’t compete, and would be superseded.” ~ Stephen Hawking (BBC Interview, 2014)

I love Hawking…but why are we reducing humans to some kind of computational output? I feel like we’re more than that. Except for mathematicians (be honest).

And what are we competing with AI over? Jobs? Partners? Attention? Competency? Expertise?

And why are AI companies, and those in the tech industry, positioning AI as a “us” vs. “them” contest in nearly every video, blurb, and tweet? If I see another Boston Dynamics clip…I swear. There’s only one Bruce Lee. Hard stop.

Will AI outperform us? Maybe the mediocre and maybe that’s okay. Maybe that will drive humans to challenge their own limitations and take it up a notch. But if you take someone like Dolly Parton, there’s no competition and she never presented herself as such (although there was some exchange in Jolene 😆)…but in thinking about AI, I’ve always perceived it as a tool to help advance the sciences and support human endeavors.

And honestly, maybe our advantage was never going to be about speed as much as it is living to one’s full potential, whatever that looks like. As someone who has competed in sports that involved a great deal of speed, the wipeouts can be harsh and tragic (insert image of a bug hitting a windshield here 😆 ). Our “slow” biological evolution has its advantages and has given us time to pivot on the court, like Kobe, and develop such an array of magnificent skills and talents. Instead of viewing AI as the opposition and competition, we need to focus on what it means to be human and explore this sociotech dynamic in a deeper and more meaningful way.

Having said that, if Claude wants to meet me in the backcountry for a buggy competition, I’m up for it. I know Stephen Hui would have his money on me. 😆