Venus Project Forbes and Bill McKibben

 Forbes, has published an online article in which Daniel Araya (PhD), a technology consultant and advisor working at the intersection of entrepreneurship, innovation and public policy, reports on an interview with Roxanne Meadows and Nathanael Dinwiddie of The Venus Project to better understand their thoughts on the future. One area of concern involves how the Venus Project envisions utilizing AI in decision-making.

Meadows and Dinwiddie: Applying the methods of science and technology (including AI) to the operation of the world’s societies will lead to a substantially more reliable functioning of support systems than we have today. Homelessness, starvation, war, and environmental degradation are consequences of today’s political and economic approaches to decision-making. A Resource Based Economy operates within a unified systems approach that utilizes the methods of science and AI to arrive at the most appropriate decisions at any given time. Unlike today’s implementation of technology, this new approach would be carefully carried out with the utmost human and environmental concern. The real-time influx of quantitative and qualitative data would provide real-time feedback, enabling humanity to constantly observe and continually improve the operation of the system over time.1

Bill McKibben and Yuval Noah Harari have written about the need for caution and vigilance as technology moves to develop AGI (artificial general intelligence) with intelligence surpassing humans and decision speeds a million times faster than humans.

 

 

The human masters of these systems may have personal enrichment and worker control motives resulting in an increase in inequality in society.

 1(2020, September 1). Is The Venus Project The Next Stage In Human Evolution?. Retrieved September 3, 2020, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/danielaraya/2020/09/01/is-the-venus-project-the-next-stage-in-human-evolution/

Need to Regulate Artificial Intelligence

The “Talks at Google” channel on YouTube interviews Yuval Noah Harari, macro-historian, Professor, best-selling author of "Sapiens" and "Homo Deus," and one of the world's most innovative and exciting thinkers. Harari discusses his newest work, "21 Lessons for the 21st Century."1

Described as a “truly mind-expanding” journey through today’s most pressing issues, "21 Lessons for the 21st Century" reminds us to maintain our collective focus in the midst of dizzying and disorienting change.

A quote from McKibben’s book points to the boundary that he considers for regulation.

To be clear, we already have achieved what the writer Tim Urban calls artificial narrow intelligence, sometimes referred to as “weak AI.”... You’ll be able to drink IPA’s for hours at your local tavern and the self-driving car will take you home - and it may well be able to recommend precisely which IPA’s you’d like the best. But it won’t be able to carry on an interesting discussion about whether this is the best course for your life. (McKibben p137) That next step up is artificial general intelligence, sometimes referred to as “strong AI “ That’s a computer “as smart as a human across the board, a machine that can perform any intellectual task a human can,” in Urban’s description.2

Yuval Noah Harari has contributed to the exploration of AI ethics through participation in “Talks at Google” This interview is also available as a podcast.3

Helen Lewis, writing a review for the Guardian, provides a summary of Harari’s style as a contrast to that of Jordan Peterson.

 It’s an unkind comparison, but I am compelled to return to Jordan Peterson. The two men are almost mirror-images: Harari is a vegan, while Peterson says that a beef-only diet is the best treatment for his depression. Both can sound like prophets. Harari advises that if you want to “know the truth about the universe ... the best place to start is by observing suffering and exploring what it is”, while Peterson tells readers: “Suffering is real, and the artful infliction of suffering on another, for its own sake, is wrong. That became the cornerstone of my belief.” And both men are treated as general all-purpose Clever People, rather than as academics with a particular specialism. They inhabit the high-altitude world of speaking tours and TED talks, repackaging their books into bite-sized chunks.4

McKibben’s concern about inequality resulting from the application of “strong AI” or Harari’s warning about the interface between biosensors and AI are flags that encourage us to discuss the ethical deployment of this technology to serve humanity rather than have humanity serve those who control the technology.

References

1	(2018, October 11). Yuval Noah Harari: "21 Lessons for the 21st Century" | Talks at .... Retrieved April 29, 2020, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bw9P_ZXWDJU
2	McKibben, B. (2020). Falter: has the human game begun to play itself out? New York: Henry Holt and Company.
3	(n.d.). Talks at Google - Ep14 - Yuval Noah Harari: "21 Lessons for .... Retrieved April 29, 2020, from https://www.stitcher.com/s/?eid=57208899
4	(2018, August 15). 21 Lessons for the 21st Century by Yuval Noah Harari review .... Retrieved April 2, 2020, from https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/aug/15/21-lessons-for-the-21st-century-by-yuval-noah-harari-review

A narrative for humanity

Douglas Rushkoff witnessed the initial promise of the internet ⁠— a ‘social medium’ for thoughtful encounters and the democratizing of knowledge.

Source: https://rushkoff.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/unnamed.jpg

It’s since become ‘social media’; a system that colonizes our minds and enriches a handful of ethically challenged developers. Rushkoff says we need to reaffirm that we are social beings and reappropriate technology to support and cultivate what he calls ‘Team Human.'1

Yuval Harari comments that we won’t currently have a narrative. The last century had 3 narratives

1. Fascist story: struggle between nations
2. Communist story: struggle among classes
3. Liberal story: struggle between liberty and tyranny

 Understanding the liberal narrative is nuanced.

The big heroes of the story were the people. Now people hear big ideas and technology. They are no longer part of the story of the future. The future doesn't need the common person. The future is artificial intelligence, bio-engineering. Can technology empower people to do more interesting work? Humans will require high skills and education. In thirties movement was from farm to tractor factory. Learning the job of factory worker was possible. Transition to engineering software or developing video games will be more difficult.

Knowing people better than they know themselves is a future possibility. Looking "under your skin" for bio measurements; heart rate, blood pressure, and brain activity. "Surveillance capitalism" is monitoring what is happening inside your body. It has great economic value. It offer good potential for best and cheapest healthcare. There is great danger for abuse to manipulate and control people. It may provide not only healthcare but guidance in all the decisions we make. I am advised by an algorithm that knows me so well. 

Yuval Harari comments on money as a fictional story, an entity that only exists in the minds of humans. The story told by bankers to enable people to trade effectively. We trust in the story of the dollar. We trade. We cooperate.



and explore the role of stories in being human.

1(2019, December 19). Get thee behind me, tech: putting humans before social media .... Retrieved December 27, 2019, from https://www.cbc.ca/radio/ideas/get-thee-behind-me-tech-putting-humans-before-social-media-1.5402307

Moving to 2020 with 1950 education

Training for a job that is disappearing?

HAL is ready to serve?