Here Be Dragons: Navigating Our AI Future
Exploring the the perils, promises, and potential of AI
Early in my explorations of artificial intelligence, I began to look for wisdom to guide me. The advances in AI felt so unprecedented, and the risks and rewards appeared to be so high, I wanted to make better sense of it for myself and my students.
My search led to few answers and more questions.
“How can I live a good and meaningful life during a massive technological shift where knowing how to use AI seems a necessary survival skill, yet the implementation of the technology itself threatens to accelerate global warming, increase inequality, and undermine the very foundations of our whole society?”
“How do I resolve the inherent tension between my use of AI as the owner of a business dedicated to building climate resilience and as an educator given AI’s known negative impacts on our planet and future generations?”
Here be dragons.
The dragons can be inside us or outside us. They can be wildly chaotic, destructive energies whirling through the social structures of which we are a part. They can also be wise and constructive when they challenge us to come to grips with who we are individually and collectively, and to use our curiosity, cleverness, and adaptability–as well as our tools–wisely and well.
In fair winds or stormy seas, my aim is to hold the wheel and the questions with an open heart, an attitude of personal agency, and the active hope of catching a glimpse of brighter possibilities on the far horizon.
I hope you will join me for wide-ranging and open discussions about how to creatively navigate our AI future, where we can learn from each other and plot our course to where we want to be.