Holden Karnofsky on the most important century

Abstract

The article argues that the current century could be the most important in human history due to the potential for rapid technological development, specifically the development of artificial intelligence (AI). The author argues that the acceleration of economic growth over the past few centuries suggests that we are entering a period of unprecedented change, and that AI could cause further, even more rapid acceleration. AI has the potential to automate scientific research, enabling us to reach levels of technological advancement that would normally take tens of thousands of years in just a few years. The article also discusses the possibility of creating ‘digital people’, simulated copies of human minds, which would be able to exist in virtual environments and across the galaxy, and have significant implications for society and the future of humanity. The author recognizes that there are many ways that these predictions could be wrong, but argues that we should take them seriously and consider the consequences of such a rapid transformation. – AI-generated abstract.