One of the underlying themes in this series is that most of society’s serious ills stem from a hijacking of the code within the code. Technology is a neutral force for achieving human goals, but one that has long been plundered for profit and expropriated for power. Think of it as two viral infections; one extracting wealth and the other consolidating control. The former has its home in for-profit enterprises, the latter in authoritarian regimes. Kleptocracy fuses these infections and is a growing problem throughout the world today.
Artificial intelligence and automation raise the stakes of these viral infections. Imagine an enterprise perfectly tuned to extract wealth, spew waste, and avoid costs—a kind of “perfect profit machine” with devastating consequences for its surrounding communities and the environment. The other nightmare is a “perfect control machine” using surveillance, AI, and automation to bend citizens to the will of a ruler. These scenarios are far more frightening than the typical “killer robot” science fiction story because their early sketches are already here.
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Close your eyes, and try to imagine an ancient tree, its roots sunk deep into the warmth of the Earth and powerful trunk stretching up into the cool clarity of the night sky. The colors of the bark gradually become more vibrant as your eyes move upward. As the flecks of rainbow color reach the branches, they become increasingly translucent, transforming ultimately into sparkling crystal leaves of pure consciousness.
This image has been with me for years—a symbol of the seamless connection between life and knowledge and the coming era of synthetic intelligence. Recognizing the cosmic significance of this synthetic intelligence is ultimately the key to answering what it is that we want from our partnership with machines.
A Tree of
Synthesis
The Bible tells of two trees in the Garden of Eden—a Tree of Life and a Tree of Knowledge. But what if these trees weren’t actually separate, but instead, one tree growing from another?
A Virus in the Code