Book Byte #5 "The Coming Wave" by Mustafa Suleyman
Technology, Power, and the Twenty-first Century's Greatest Dilemma
Buy the Book here: https://amzn.to/3Hci056
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“The Coming Wave (2023) is a wake-up call. Artificial intelligence and genetic engineering aren’t just technologies of the future; they’re already here, and remaking the world we live in. More than any transformative technology of the past, they have the ability to make the next decades the best in human history – or the worst. Which path our societies go down is up to us and our ability to think clearly about the risks and rewards ahead of us.”
📣 Curious Quotes from the Author:
“From the written word to sailing vessels, technology increases interconnectedness, helping to boost its own flow and spread. Each wave hence lays the groundwork for successive waves.”
“the introduction of the printing press in the fifteenth century caused a 340-fold decrease in the price of a book, further driving adoption and yet more demand.”
“Over time, then, the implications of these technologies will push humanity to navigate a path between the poles of catastrophe and dystopia. This is the essential dilemma of our age.”
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📚 Cognition of the Book’s Big Idea:
There are 4 basic ideas displayed in Suleyman’s Book:
The Presence of the Revenge Effect with every big technological advancement. Antibiotics were a miracle cure, but overuse caused superbugs to evolve. Facebook wanted to connect the world, but ended up connecting
AI allows for an automation never before seen within daily life. The big fear is loss of Jobs, and it’s a relevant fear. AI will easily replace Data Entry and Translation services. “What happens when once-affluent cities become middle-class rustbelts? One thing’s certain: mass joblessness and economic instability have not been good for democracies historically.”
Allowing these new technologies will amplify power. Anyone with enough computer power will be able to easily make malware programs and create disinformation campaigns to help destabilize society. What happens to governments who can control their own utility services, loyalty will go out the window when amateurs are causing the local water supply to stop pumping.
The Author suggests regulation, but how can it be effective at the exponential rate AI is evolving to how slow our Government Operates. It makes the argument that we do an ok job with automobile regulation, however 500,000 people die in car accidents every year. We just consider that acceptable losses considering how much we depend on automobile transportation.
🤝 Collaborate with others with this Social Media Prompt:
What is the one thing you would love AI to take care for you everyday because you absolutely dread doing it everyday?