I feel like I need to go through this thing:
People are tool-builders with an inherent drive to understand and create, which leads to the world getting better for all of us.
Most people are not. The number of people with a drive to understand and create is small. So AI doesn’t help a majority of folks. It kind of destroys their world. Thinking “that’s too bad” is kind of sociopathic.
the economic growth in front of us looks astonishing, and we can now imagine a world where we cure all diseases, have much more time to enjoy with our families, and can fully realize our creative potential.
We already have had absurd economic growth. We’re already curing all diseases. We already have more time with families. What we don’t have is access to far more stability and sustainability. So many people have two jobs and can’t finish the month for fuck’s sake, Sam. That’s what the fuck is missing; a wealth shared directly and efficiently to most, not exclusively shared by a bunch of folks with yachts. Can AI help with spreading wealth? Yes, but it’s mostly about the social systems around it, not AI itself. Talk about that shit, man.
the price of luxury goods and a few inherently limited resources like land may rise even more dramatically.
Who gives a damn about luxury goods, really? Hierarchy and status are 1900s shenanigans. And why land would rise dramatically? Bury and stack your data centers, the fuck? Or are you thinking about becoming a literal landlord, preventing people from being off the grid and happy? I can see that scenario as well.
In particular, it does seem like the balance of power between capital and labor could easily get messed up, and this may require early intervention.
It’s not may, it’s needed. Right now. It doesn’t seem like, it already did! 2018 graduates can’t find more than internships and contract work. It is horrifying that the leading AI company’s CEO doesn’t see the contributing impact of its product in the current real world. But sees it as a probability.
It’s frustrating.