Thomas R. Weaver
For Artificial Wisdom: the Brexit Referendum and Trump’s 2018 win were the first major influences on this story, and in particular the suspicions that fell on the Russians and their online manipulation of public opinions in both countries struck me. If it was so easy to make people believe something or vote in a certain way, by appealing to their biggest fears, with just a few hundred people in a bot farm outside Moscow… What would it be like when we actually had something sophisticated, like AI, able to understand at a much more personal level what might make us change our minds on any given issue?
My first written note on this story in September 2019 reads, “Civilisation, splitting apart in polarisation, puts their fate in an AI leader in a Brexit style referendum.” That’s not quite the story I ended up telling, but it was the roots of it.
The climate theme came later. I’d read an article about how some countries with significant land above a certain latitude (like Russia) were potential beneficiaries of climate change, as it would unlock significant resources. I started to wonder how you could truly solve something as interconnected as the climate crisis when each country was pulling towards their own priorities.
And finally, I was listening to the incredible Dan Carlin Hardcore History podcast called Death Throes of the Republic, on the shift of Rome from Republic to Empire. I’d listened to it multiple times, as I’m a huge fan of that period of history. That made me think of the role of the Roman dictator in consolidating power and solving crises. Wouldn’t we have to ultimately do the same at a global level?
My first written note on this story in September 2019 reads, “Civilisation, splitting apart in polarisation, puts their fate in an AI leader in a Brexit style referendum.” That’s not quite the story I ended up telling, but it was the roots of it.
The climate theme came later. I’d read an article about how some countries with significant land above a certain latitude (like Russia) were potential beneficiaries of climate change, as it would unlock significant resources. I started to wonder how you could truly solve something as interconnected as the climate crisis when each country was pulling towards their own priorities.
And finally, I was listening to the incredible Dan Carlin Hardcore History podcast called Death Throes of the Republic, on the shift of Rome from Republic to Empire. I’d listened to it multiple times, as I’m a huge fan of that period of history. That made me think of the role of the Roman dictator in consolidating power and solving crises. Wouldn’t we have to ultimately do the same at a global level?
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