The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence and other technologies presents both immense opportunities and major challenges for human society. At its core, ensuring that technology serves humanity means addressing fundamental human needs: access to resources, safety, dignity, and the ability to thrive. When technology progresses without a focus on equitable distribution and human well-being, it risks creating a world where many are left behind, experiencing what feels like scarcity even amidst technological abundance. This imbalance can lead to social unrest and a sense of humiliation for those who feel the future has no place for them.
The Adaptation Gap: Technology’s Exponential Leap
Humanity stands at a critical juncture where technological progress is accelerating at an unprecedented rate, creating a widening gap between what technology can do and how quickly humans can adapt. Technologies like robotics, biotechnology, artificial intelligence, quantum computing, and space exploration are developing exponentially. Breakthroughs that once defined a decade now become obsolete in a matter of weeks.
In contrast, human evolution and societal adaptation follow a more linear path. People are not greatly smarter or faster than they were 5,000 years ago, let alone five weeks ago. This “adaptation gap” is a source of concern, as it threatens to leave large segments of the population behind. If not managed carefully, this disparity could lead to widespread social disruption, with many people lacking essential resources and feeling disconnected from the future. Some suggest slowing down technological development through legislation. However, the pace of innovation makes it difficult for traditional governance to keep up, rendering such approaches largely ineffective. Instead, a more proactive strategy involves accelerating humanity’s capacity to integrate and benefit from these advancements.
The Promise and Peril of Unchecked AI
The vision of a technologically advanced future often includes promises of abundance, where robots work overtime and prosperity is widespread. However, this narrative often fails to resonate with the public. Many people do not believe that mere technological abundance will solve their problems. In practice, abundance that is not shared or inclusive can feel like scarcity. If all the benefits of new technologies are concentrated on one side of society, those on the other side do not become richer; they become more miserable.
This unequal distribution can lead to profound feelings of shame and humiliation. When children ask why their families lack what others have, it creates a deep sense of indignity. This risk extends beyond mass unemployment to mass humiliation, which can be profoundly destabilizing. History shows that taking away what little people have and then humiliating them can create dangerous situations. Therefore, the development of new technologies, especially AI, must actively work to prevent such outcomes and ensure that progress benefits everyone, not just a select few.
Reclaiming Wisdom: The Role of Ancestral Intelligence
To navigate this complex future, there is a call to integrate what can be termed “ancestral intelligence” into our approach to technology. This concept suggests that wisdom from past generations and fundamental human values can provide an essential compass for building a new civilization. It means moving beyond a sole focus on “greed and speed” – values that can corrupt people and nations – and instead embracing principles like sharing, caring, community, and long-term well-being.
Ancestral intelligence encourages a return to foundational human values often found in communal institutions like places of worship or traditional gatherings. These spaces, historically, have fostered wisdom, empathy, and collective action. Applying this wisdom means recognizing that immense power comes with immense responsibility. Those shaping new technologies are not just building companies; they are co-founding a new human civilization. This requires them to consider the broader human impact of their innovations, ensuring that decisions are guided by more than just profit and rapid deployment. It means valuing the insights of diverse communities and prioritizing human connection and dignity.
A New Social Contract for the AI Age
The shift in power dynamics needs a new social contract between Big Tech and humanity. Historically, governments held the primary power to shape the future through laws. Today, the future is increasingly being written in code by technology companies in places like Silicon Valley. This concentration of power carries major responsibilities that extend beyond traditional business models.
Tech companies must recognize their role in co-creating a new human civilization. This means engaging in a genuine dialogue with society and moving past unconvincing assurances of automatic abundance. Instead of simply scaling up technological abilities, the focus must shift to scaling up human well-being and equitable access. This new contract calls for tech leaders to integrate ethical considerations and societal impact directly into their design and deployment processes. It means actively seeking ways to ensure that technological advancements enhance human abilities and address real-world problems for all, rather than just creating new forms of wealth for a few.
Building an Inclusive Future: Bridging the Divide
Creating a truly human-centric future requires collaboration between technology developers and grassroots communities. This means fostering environments where engineers and people with deep understanding of everyday challenges can work together. Historically, grassroots movements have sometimes focused on criticism and “calling out” perceived injustices, which can inadvertently create divisions and multiply adversaries. While accountability is important, a more effective approach involves “calling in” – engaging people, fostering dialogue, and multiplying friends rather than enemies.
The goal should be to move from a focus on complaints to a shared vision for a better tomorrow, much like past futurist leaders who articulated dreams for the future. This collaborative spirit can lead to innovative solutions that genuinely address human needs. Examples of this approach are already emerging:
- Unfooted Solutions: A platform, built by formerly incarcerated people and engineers, functions as a professional network for ex-prisoners. It helps people find employment and stay out of the street, and now uses AI agents to support social workers.
- Noella Sudbury’s Work: A lawyer collaborating with engineers uses AI to expunge prison records, helping people clear their past and access new opportunities.
- Promise: Founded by Phaedra Ellis-Lamkins and Diana Frappier, this company helps governments operate more efficiently and beneficially, rather than being more punitive.
- Rapport: This company, supported by Reid Hoffman, uses AI to enhance emotional intelligence within organizations, recognizing that human connection is as vital as cognitive ability.
- HOPE AI: Launched by John Hope Bryant, this effort aims to make a billion people AI-literate within the next 10 years, empowering more people to participate in the creation of new businesses and opportunities.
These efforts demonstrate how technology, when guided by ancestral wisdom and a commitment to inclusion, can be a powerful tool for positive social change. By bringing together diverse perspectives and focusing on shared dreams, we can build a future that is both technologically advanced and deeply human.
In conclusion, navigating the rapid evolution of AI requires a balanced approach. For those in the technology sector, this means tempering the pursuit of “greed and speed” with greater emphasis on sharing and caring. For grassroots advocates, it means shifting away from shame and blame towards fostering more space and grace for dialogue and collaboration. By uniting these perspectives, we can create a movement rich in ingenuity, hope, and compassion. The resulting civilization will not only be technologically advanced but also deeply human and civilized, embodying the ancestral intelligence that future generations will look back upon with gratitude.
