Video summary:
In this discussion moderated by Nicholas Adlerbert, founder of the Norskin Foundation, Daniel Schmachtenberger, founding member of the Consilience Project, talks about the need to shift our focus from valuing economic success to valuing impact on society and the environment. He criticizes the celebration of unicorns (startups with billion-dollar valuations) without considering the harm they may cause to society or the planet. Schmachtenberger argues that the current growth-oriented society is not compatible with a finite planet and highlights the need for impact entrepreneurs who are addressing the world’s greatest challenges.
He discusses the concept of the Meta Crisis, which refers to the underlying dynamics that give rise to various crises, such as climate change, social injustice, and species extinction. Schmachtenberger emphasizes the role of technology, particularly exponential technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and synthetic biology, in exacerbating these crises. He raises concerns about the misuse of AI, such as the development of AI weapons, and the potential catastrophic consequences of advanced technologies.
Schmachtenberger suggests that the current global market system, driven by a narrow focus on economic growth and financial interests, is incompatible with the well-being of the planet and humanity. He describes the market as a misaligned superintelligence that relies on human action and incentivizes the pursuit of monetary gain above all else. He argues that a fundamental change in the market system is necessary to ensure compatibility with the biosphere and the long-term survival of humanity.
While acknowledging the complexity and darkness of the challenges we face, Schmachtenberger encourages people to confront their feelings of depression and outrage. He emphasizes the importance of recognizing the inherent beauty and sacredness of life, and the need to take action to preserve it. He urges individuals to engage in activities that align with their values and to actively seek out information and perspectives that remind them of the true state of the world. He concludes by emphasizing the need for a paradigm shift in our economic, governance, education, and religious systems to safely steward the power of advanced technologies and prevent global catastrophe.
“Metacrisis” huh. As a name for the thing I like “the Long Emergency” better. AI in its currently-existing forms is important only in that it’s yet another refinement that can have some use in enhancing the efficiency of the systems we’ve been building up for the past few hundreds of years, but we are at the point where the diminishing returns from such novelties will no longer be effective in staving off disaster for any appreciable length of time. Large language models are already passé.
I find ‘metacrisis’ more descriptive and satisfying for the reasons Daniel talked about in the video - that it’s not just the many crises we face, but the underlying systems that are creating the crises (ie, Moloch). Also, it doesn’t matter if AI is not effective at staving off disaster, as long as it creates value for the market it will be deployed with mind-boggling scale and resource use even as the world burns.
I think this speaker and the people pushing the term “metacrisis” in general misunderstand humanity’s predicament in a way that leads them to rate too highly the potential of those AI systems that have been made so far (that we know of.) It’s interesting technology, but its potential threats are even more over-hyped lately than its potential benefits. We have better things to do than worry too much about either.
What do you think he’s getting wrong about our predicament? AI wasn’t really a focus in this talk, just showing how we knowingly develop dangerous tools and act against our collective interests because of our system of incentives and multipolar traps.
Great video, thanks for posting it.
