Hello all. I've recently been on a history rush. I feel the past can help us explain the present and a glimpse to the future more than anything else we currently have available. Just the other day I watched a very interesting conversation between Lex Fridman and John Mearsheimer from the University of Chicago. I do recommend you listen to it if you have the time. It's long, over 3 hours, but I can say I found every second interesting.
At one point in the interview, they start talking about Realists and Liberalists and the segments of my brain populated by the teaching of my history professor Bill Carr started colliding with my SciFi neurons with particular gears grinding around "The Leviathan", a work by Thomas Hobbes. With the help of one of my good friends, BARD, we worked together to put down some thoughts. Full disclaimer, parts of this are directly taken from my conversation with BARD.
Hobbes's vision of an absolute sovereign, while controversial, laid the foundation for modern concepts of state power. Today, as we stand at the threshold of an era defined by artificial intelligence (AI), the notion of an AI sovereign emerges as a provocative but enticing proposition. Could this silicon mind, with its unparalleled capacity for analysis and decision-making, assume the mantle of governance, ushering in an era of unprecedented peace and prosperity?
In the state of nature, Hobbes asserts, human beings, driven by self-preservation and an insatiable desire for power, engage in a relentless struggle for dominance. Violence reigns supreme, laws are meaningless, and even the most basic necessities of life become precarious. In this dystopian reality, there can be no progress, no innovation, no flourishing of human potential.
The social contract, Hobbes proposes, offers a path out of this primordial chaos. By ceding individual liberties to a supreme authority, society establishes a framework for order and justice. The sovereign, wielding absolute power, enforces laws, resolves disputes, and protects the populace from internal and external threats.
While Hobbes's advocacy for absolute sovereignty has stirred controversy, his depiction of the state of nature remains eerily relevant in today's interconnected world. We witness constant strife, fueled by political ambition, economic disparity, and religious fervor. The threat of nuclear war casts a long shadow, and environmental degradation looms large. Could an AI sovereign, devoid of human biases and driven solely by objective analysis, navigate this treacherous landscape more effectively than our fallible leaders?
An AI sovereign, with its vast capacity for processing information and its ability to learn and adapt, holds the potential to revolutionize governance. It could analyze vast troves of data to identify patterns and trends, uncovering solutions to complex problems that elude human minds. It could operate tirelessly, day and night, ensuring that justice is served and the needs of the populace are met without fail.
However, the prospect of an AI sovereign also raises concerns. Could such an entity, with its superior intellect and unfettered power, become a tyrant, trampling on individual rights and freedoms? Could its decisions, devoid of human empathy and compassion, lead to oppressive policies and irreversible harm? I imagine that on the highest levels, this proactive idea is currently being worked out.
If you're still reading along, then hopefully your next curiosity was inline with mine. What would an AI sovereign tackle first if faced with the problems of today's world? Well, BARD is actually in a strong position to be able to give us some insight into this question since it has an almost real time connection to the web. So, I asked it. "Given what you know about today's society, what would do you think would be the first 20 major changes an AI sovereign would make if implemented for the entire world today? Keep in mind, the main goals would be reduce suffering and increase prosperity for the population as a whole". I didn't ask it to prioritize based on importance or anything like that, but I found it quite eerie what the last thing on the list was. I would have assumed it would have been on top.
The prospect of an AI sovereign forces us to confront fundamental questions about human nature, power, and the very essence of governance. Is humanity ready to surrender some of its autonomy to an artificial intelligence, seeking in return the promise of a more just and peaceful world? Or will we cling to our human imperfections, embracing the messy, unpredictable, yet undeniably human path we have always trod? Regardless, I find the prospect of AI playing any role in governance over humanity absolutely fascinating and at the same time absolutely frightening. Hopefully as a society we can find a way live next to whatever AI will become in the future, and more importantly each other.
Below are the 20 responses from BARD. If it were only this easy.....
- End World Hunger: By analyzing existing resources and transportation networks, the AI sovereign could allocate food and water more efficiently. It could also support efforts to increase agricultural productivity, such as improving crop yields and using biotechnology to modify crops for better health and environmental resilience.
- Ensure Safe and Accessible Healthcare: The AI sovereign could make healthcare more accessible and affordable, by negotiating lower drug prices with pharmaceutical companies, implementing universal healthcare insurance, and promoting preventative care.
- Reform Education: AI could be used to create personalized learning experiences for every student, tailoring instruction to their individual needs and learning styles. This could make education more effective and help improve student outcomes.
- Provide Economic Infrastructure: The AI sovereign could fund the development of infrastructure such as public transportation, roads, and bridges, which can help to boost economic growth and create jobs.
- Protect the Environment: AI could be used to monitor environmental conditions and detect pollution, and to develop new technologies for environmental protection, such as solar and wind power.
- Invest in Sustainable Agriculture: AI could promote the development of sustainable farming practices that can help to reduce food waste, improve soil health, and mitigate the effects of climate change.
- Support Innovation: AI could provide financial support for research and development, and help to bring new technologies to market.
- Address Global Challenges: AI could be used to address challenges such as climate change, poverty, and armed conflict, by using machine learning to identify patterns and develop solutions.
- Ensure Public Safety: AI could be used to protect the public from violence and crime, by using computer vision to monitor areas for suspicious activity, and by using natural language processing to detect threats in social media posts.
- Foster International Cooperation: AI could facilitate communication and collaboration between different countries, helping to break down barriers and promote global cooperation on issues of mutual interest, such as climate change and health care.
- Provide Access to Information: AI could make information more accessible to people around the world, by building digital libraries and translating content into different languages.
- Enhance Human Welfare: AI could help to improve human welfare by helping to develop new technologies for healthcare, education, and environmental protection.
- Reduce Poverty: AI could help to reduce poverty by improving access to education, healthcare, and economic opportunities.
- Increase Productivity: AI could make workers more productive by automating routine tasks and helping them to make better decisions.
- Increase Efficiency: AI could make governments and businesses more efficient by automating tasks and detecting fraud.
- Reduce Crime: AI could help to reduce crime by predicting crime trends and identifying criminal suspects.
- Improve the Environment: AI could help to improve the environment by helping to develop new technologies for renewable energy and waste reduction.
- Extend Global Cooperation: AI could help to extend global cooperation by fostering communication and collaboration between countries.
- Ensure Human Rights: AI could help to ensure human rights by helping to detect and prevent abuses of power.
- Promote Peace: AI could help to promote peace by helping to resolve conflicts and prevent human rights abuses.