Hey friend,
I came across this surprisingly simple but powerful mental model recently in an interview with Elon Musk. EM has always mentioned the power of AI in the future, way ahead of ChatGPT. So the interviewer asked why he didn’t pursue the goal of creating Artificial Intelligence first instead of building rockets for Mars. His reply was:
“AI is like a double-edged sword. It could have both good and bad implications once you invent it. It could be used to save or destroy humanity.
On the other hand, making humanity multi-planetary is not like a double-edged sword with good and bad. It has only good on both sides. Hence it’s like a double-edged good. If the whole Mars mission fails, it’s not hurting anyone, and all the research done thus far could be put to other uses that help humanity.”
My thoughts: For the software developer I am, it helped me find some career clarity in the chaos of all the AI buzz. I had to stay ahead in my career, but at the same time I didn’t want to do something to harm humanity, e.g., help develop tools that take away jobs. Instead, it dawned on me that I could apply my software development skills in the domain of AI in Health. This feels like a double-edged good for me. Even if advanced AI is being used, it only helps in saving lives and helping humanity.
Regards,
Akhil.
LinkedIn | Building: Aldy To-Do App | X