We are here to create or design...?

Well-formed questions are of immense importance to human progress. The wealthy and successful often reach a point in life where it is important to begin to ask bigger questions than those that made them rich and powerful. Often the question is “how can I fix or help people?” Occasionally it is “how can I serve people?” Less often it is questions about the meaning of life and the purpose of human existence. An example of the latter is a recent article by a very successful Chinese nationalist, Kai-Fu Lee, educated at some of the best schools in the United States. He asks the question “why are we here?” His answer is that we are here to create. But the question remains vague. Create what?

Maybe the answer is we are here to design preferred futures?

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human husbandry design

Human Husbandry I saw the announcement that Sam Altman and John Ives are teaming up to create a new AI technology. As I was looking into what they were planning to do I came across the concept of ‘ambient AI’ — a process of harvesting the products of human interaction 24/7. I knew the activity but did not know the name. I grew up in an agricultural region in the Rocky Mountains and have been, in the past, a participant in what is called ‘animal husbandry’. Ambient AI sounded like ‘human husbandry’ — humans being harvested for their ubiquitous social fabrications while living out their daily lives. The harvesting is essentially unobtrusive as I understand it —similar to the harvesting of products from livestock. Cattle, sheep and other domesticated animals remain passive or indifferent while their wool, milk and other commodities are being harvested. A lot of people seem passive or even pleased about being harvested for their products as well. The idea of the ‘Human Use of Huma...

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