By Tiana Chu ( Hattera Creator )
Exploring Possible Scenarios of a Diverse and Inclusive Society: Human Advantages Compared to AI, Controllable and Uncontrollable Futures, and How to Dance in Harmony with the Future.
In the potential landscape of a diverse and flourishing society, we are poised to face an infinite game where we embrace multiple identities. Through the empowerment of AI, we may be entering an era reminiscent of a second enlightenment and renaissance. In the foreseeable or unforeseeable future: How can we thrive in harmony with AI? Jazz musician Miles Davis once said, "Don't play what's there, play what's not there." No one knows exactly what the true future holds. Nevertheless, technology always emanates from humanity, and may it guide us toward a future that is more open, creative, and mutually prosperous.
1. Possible Scenarios of a Diverse and Inclusive Society
2. Human Advantages Compared to AI
3. Controllable and Uncontrollable Futures
4. How to Dance in Harmony with the Future
5. Reference Materials & Further Reading
The continuity of human culture involves the fusion and extension of diverse cultures from the past. We might be transitioning into a future world dominated by digitization, such as the Quantum Economic Era. What could be the potential characteristics of such a society?
1. Infinite Games
Economic models are shifting from finite games to infinite games, emphasizing repeated use rather than singular ownership.
2. Multiple Identities
Traditional societal labels may be disappearing, allowing more individuals to switch between roles as employees, freelancers, and small entrepreneurs, possibly even simultaneously.
3. Prosperity Agreements
In the quantum economy, everything is interconnected. Utilizing blockchain technology to collectively establish game rules, forming dynamic agreements that everyone can practically adhere to.(Blockchain is about stylized business, stylized government, and even stylized the entire society. - Joi Ito)
4. Participatory Well-being
Well-being shifts from possession to participation, where people find meaning and personal happiness in product design and technological advancements. Consumers seek relationships, stories, and magic, not just products and services.
5. Second Enlightenment and Renaissance
Similar to the humanistic ideals of the Renaissance, emphasizing the holistic development and potential creativity of individuals. Encouraging the pursuit of knowledge in breadth and depth, exploring diverse fields. With the rapid development of artificial intelligence, human creativity is being ignited and expanded in new dimensions.
1. Curiosity and Playfulness
Human culture is built upon language, and the essence of language is akin to a game. The pursuit of fun is inherent to human nature, and technology ultimately stems from the playfulness within humanity. The core value of human nature might be the "spirit of play." Humans have an innate desire to engage in activities for the sheer joy of it, whether it's drawing on a piece of paper, embarking on adventures, breaking rules, daydreaming about aspirations, or simply experiencing life to the fullest.
TED Talk: Generative AI and Creative Arms Race - Ovetta Patrice Sampson
2. Reflecting on Past Experiences
Discover growth with each iteration. AI may not be able to fully discover insights from the iterations at each stage. Without introspection and review of the process. People will care about certain things, so they can respond to important and meaningful things and have personal opinions.
3. Supervision, Responsibility, and Alignment
Aligning AI with human interests is crucial for the common good, maintaining the normal functioning of human societies and organizations, and ensuring public order and safety. The important thing is that if something happens... the person in charge is found (laughs).
4. Context Building and Maintenance
Providing context and imbuing long-term value to things. We are in an era where everyone is an editor, and AI can help us explore uncharted combinations and preliminary prototypes. The challenge lies in identifying viable business models, creating memes and trends, discovering unresolved problems, branding for long-term value and style, or crafting a "worldview."
5. Empathy
Do you automatically feel empathy for the characters when watching a movie? Isn’t it great to be able to imagine and empathize with the characters just through the pictures and sounds? Empathy is at least our superpower.
6. Offering Valuable Data Sources
In fields such as medical analysis and cultural field surveys, facing constantly changing conditions requires a continuous infusion of fresh perspectives to gain insights.
7. Constructing Thought Frameworks
If AI can be well-controlled, maintaining societal stability, we may witness a digital renaissance combining spatial computing. This could make society more equitable, with information technology, under proper regulation, enabling more people to enjoy comfortable lives. However, this requires measures to ensure that the benefits of artificial intelligence are shared collectively and not just by the owners of the technology.
Integration of Virtual and Real: Second Renaissance and the Golden Age of Philosophy
In this era, the seemingly useless may contribute to reflecting human values. Education could return to a Socratic essence, standing on the shoulders of giants, sharing collective wisdom, immersing in creative endeavors and art appreciation, nurturing and expanding communities, and engaging in healthy and vigorous debates. Historian Yuval Noah Harari points out, "The unique ability of Homo sapiens to create and believe fiction is the most unique feature of our species. It’s the key to our success." If the metaverse can foster closer collaboration, the future of mixed reality in gaming may blend tangible and intangible elements. This could make carriers with culture and stories even more precious, and utilizing speculative design to help create an imaginative society, challenging the constraints of reality, might be the future outlook for humanity.
The era of personal branding and personal management systems
The age of the brand society is upon us, and AI can assist individuals in expressing themselves better, managing a personal brand is driven by a commitment to address societal issues, create a positive impact, and contribute value. The personal brand is merely the accumulated outcome of this journey. In the deluge of massive information, defining and managing tags and keywords become crucial. Simultaneously, the importance of how individuals define and effectively manage themselves is increasing. As knowledge and information management evolve from Google search engines into personal search engines, systems like Notion and Heptabase make personal databases and personal searches more critical. Additionally, emerging personal AI assistants become part of this trend. These intelligent assistants analyze user behavior and preferences, providing more personalized suggestions, and further aiding individuals in clearly defining and managing their information in the digital world.
Blurred Lines vs. Pursuit of Authenticity
AI's abilities and virtual identities make individuals' labels in society more blurred, making it easier to cross domains. This is an era of integrated creativity. We can draw new perspectives from different fields. The so-called social, professional, and other labels are becoming increasingly ambiguous. The virtual world also makes it easier for people to communicate, cooperate, and receive various sensory stimulations. However, under excessive stimulation, people also begin to seek the sense of security brought by real experiences in the real world. Carriers that can integrate virtual and real, and have culture and stories will become more and more precious. For example, coffee, tea, handicrafts, etc. are good cultural carriers in themselves. You can use your imagination on the intangible level and feel the warm experience tangibly.
Despite the many promising possibilities, if progress outpaces the adaptability of human society, assuming that issues like AI bias, copyright, privacy, and security cannot be effectively balanced for the benefit of all, or when AI learning mimicking the human brain achieves self-awareness, society may descend into chaos, and the future may witness scenarios reminiscent of those depicted in cautionary science fiction films. When you invent the ship, you also invent the shipwreck. Every technology has its negatives, and these negatives emerge simultaneously with technological advancements - Paul Virilio. Let us hope to maintain optimism and trust in the wisdom and adaptability of human nature.
Hegel once said, "True freedom is only achieved through relationships with others." As social beings, we cherish interactions with others, such as chatting with a barista in a coffee shop. Social and emotional intelligence, along with artistic and craftsmanship skills, may become the most crucial human traits in the future, not just the current STEM skills considered key to employment. The book "Thank You for Being Late" mentions the reasons for accelerated change and its connection. Why is a computer's performance so powerful? Because the more cores it processes, the faster its computing power and the stronger its performance. Humans are similar; if the exchange of ideas is more extensive and faster, new insights are more likely to emerge. To dance with the future, perhaps we can flexibly apply the following five steps:
1. Enduring Thinking:
Think Clarity: Clearly understand what is important to oneself and the mission.
Constant Learning: Focus on the methods and attitudes of doing things.
Building Mutually Beneficial Connections: Establish connections with others, collide with different ideas, expand the duration of time, and explore the relationships between oneself, society, and the environment.
Book: The Long Win: The Search for a Better Way to Succeed
2. Avoid Predictability:
AI is a prediction engine primarily based on previous data to guess the next steps. When people use AI tools but do not rely entirely on them to maintain their uniqueness and creativity.
3. Double down on the “real world”:
Although the digital world is becoming more and more real, face-to-face interaction between people is irreplaceable. Therefore, protecting these interactions is important and can be a unique competitive advantage.
4. Understand Oneself and Develop Personal Brand:
Understand yourself and develop your brand: In the process of understanding yourself and developing your personal brand, reading extensively and experiencing life will help you discover your worldview, establish your positioning, and find the source of happiness. Personal branding has a powerful influence on solidifying your self-image, and it begins to sprout when you hope to solve a certain need or pain point for society. How to grow into a big tree depends on the time of irrigation.
5. Maintain Curiosity and Critical Thinking:
Cultivate expertise in your field, expand knowledge beyond your profession, maintain a sense of skepticism, learn to distinguish between reality and fiction, provide trustworthy information, and scrutinize the co-evolution in interactions with AI.
Jazz musician Miles Davis once said, "Don't play what's there; play what's not there." No one knows what the real future holds. However, technology always emanates from human nature. Hopefully, it will lead us to a more open, creative, and mutually flourishing future.
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