Ted Chiang has penned an insightful column on trends in A.I. and it’s dangers as an accelerant for the worst elements of late-stage capitalism. His comparison to McKinsey— whose role in corporate policies has been destructive to the middle class —is especially apt.
I’m not very convinced by claims that A.I. poses a danger to humanity because it might develop goals of its own and prevent us from turning it off. However, I do think that A.I. is dangerous inasmuch as it increases the power of capitalism. The doomsday scenario is not a manufacturing A.I. transforming the entire planet into paper clips, as one famous thought experiment has imagined. It’s A.I.-supercharged corporations destroying the environment and the working class in their pursuit of shareholder value. Capitalism is the machine that will do whatever it takes to prevent us from turning it off, and the most successful weapon in its arsenal has been its campaign to prevent us from considering any alternatives.
— Ted Chiang, Will A.I. Become the New McKinsey?