Now of course one could predict the bad future, and say we will screw up, fight each other, cause the mass extinction event, go nearly extinct ourselves, and emerge blinking out of holes in the ground decades later, post-traumatic and brain-damaged as a civilization. This is possible, but its plausibility relies on assuming that human beings are stupid and cowardly and not good at cooperation. There are elements of truth in all these notions, perhaps; we are all things to ourselves; but the record of the species so far, in adapting to radical climate changes and many other stresses, suggests these bad traits are weaknesses rather than defining elements. And many of us believe that the AI that is science is a benign force that we control. So, taking a straight-line extrapolation of our history so far – oh but wait. Not the best method, as I’ve pointed out already. Instead, making a guess, based on an evaluation of all the trends we can see, it’s still possible to predict that our intelligence and desire to do good for our children will see us through to the invention of a civilization in a stable relationship to the biosphere. After which I predict things will get even more interesting.
Design Lead, Open Energy Labs, UK & Zambia.
PhD candidate, Media & Arts Technologies, QMUL.
Music: Eponymous, Lil Data, Offer.
Previous: ROLI, Georgia Tech, University of Leeds.
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