The author further discusses the rise of transhumanism, effective altruism, and longtermism, movements that have shaped Silicon Valley's vision for AI. These movements propose that technological progress is synonymous with moral progress and that AGI, despite its potential risks, is necessary for human survival and flourishing. The author challenges this deterministic view, arguing that it is not rooted in evidence but in dogma and economic, social, and ideological pressures. The article concludes by calling for a reevaluation of the values driving AI development and a shift towards using technology to improve the well-being of the world and humanity.
Key takeaways:
- The discourse around AI in Silicon Valley often mirrors religious ideas, with technologists proposing concepts such as immortality through uploading minds to the cloud and AI as a perfect decision-making agent.
- These visions are similar to Christian eschatology, which deals with the end times and the final destiny of humanity.
- Historians argue that the influence of religious ideas can be traced from Christian theologians in the Middle Ages to modern tech figures in Silicon Valley.
- Transhumanism, effective altruism, and longtermism are three movements that have influenced Silicon Valley's visions for AI, with the belief that technological progress equates to moral progress.