Can We Become Optimists of Artificial Intelligence?

There is a great deal of attention on the prosperity of artificial intelligence. Some people call it a bubble, while others are being laid off every month. It is not clear how many layoffs are due to artificial intelligence, but it certainly has an impact. Does this mean we should slow down the development of artificial intelligence? This is a tricky question, but there are certainly reasons to argue against doing so.

Marc Andreessen, a billionaire investor who has made significant progress in the field of artificial intelligence, recently wrote a 5,000-word manifesto on technological optimism, emphasizing the need to not slow down the development of artificial intelligence. "We believe that any measures to slow down the development of artificial intelligence will result in loss of life. Because deaths that could have been avoided through existing artificial intelligence are a form of murder," wrote Andreessen.

Part One of the Technological Optimism Manifesto

"You live in a crazy time - crazier than ever before, because despite tremendous scientific and technological advances, humans have no idea who they are or what they are doing." - Walker Percy

He says we have been deceived. "We have been told that technology takes away our jobs, lowers our wages, increases inequality, threatens our health, destroys the environment, ruins our society, corrupts our children, damages our humanity, threatens our future, and is on the verge of destroying everything." However, the fact is, "our civilization is built on technology. Our civilization is being built on technology. Technology is the glory of human ambition and achievement, the vanguard of progress, the realization of our potential."

The AI Bubble of Prosperity Has Not Burst

Andreessen has always believed that technology is the answer to many world problems. Andreessen wrote, "Our enemies are not bad people, but bad ideas." This is Andreessen's second article on AI optimism.

In June of this year, Andreessen emphasized how artificial intelligence can make the world a better place with the title "Artificial Intelligence Will Save the World." He has long held the view that AI researchers and companies should be able to "build AI as quickly and as aggressively as possible." He hopes that artificial intelligence can develop without government regulation.

People may be skeptical of such comments, as they are made by an investor who has profited the most from the prosperity of artificial intelligence. Even Sam Altman, possibly the pioneer of the AI wave driven by OpenAI, has been saying, "The risks of increasingly powerful models must be mitigated."

While this kind of optimism may seem like investors wanting to profit from the prosperity of artificial intelligence without truly understanding it, on the other hand, it is not just Andreessen who holds this view. Yann LeCun of Meta AI is also very optimistic in the recent AI boom.

He recently posted on Facebook, saying it is time for most silent AI scientists to speak up and declare that AI will not cause human extinction, and to promote more research on open-source models.

LeCun and Andreessen are seen as overly optimistic observers of the prosperity of artificial intelligence, but they are correct in many cases. LeCun posted on X a few months ago, saying, "AI will not lead to massive unemployment. It will only replace jobs over time and make people more efficient," just like any other technological revolution.

In addition, he even spoke at the US Intelligence Committee, saying, "The internet did not start with open-source, it started with commercialization. But open-source platforms eventually prevailed because they are more secure, customizable, and safe." He compared the internet to artificial intelligence.

Therefore, while calling slowing down the development of artificial intelligence murder may be an exaggeration, we cannot deny the tremendous positive impact that artificial intelligence has brought. "We have a responsibility to the past and the future. It's time to become a technological optimist. It's time to build."