And your worry would be that the pendulum would swing too far, and a large portion of the population would resist the advancement of our society and our ability to tap into the “good” technology to make our lives safer and more productive, thereby putting us all at risk?
Discussion
I think the risk that this will be challenged through a totalitarian impulse is very high. And I think we are sleepwalking towards these problems.
I don't suspect we will see these crises in the less than 5 year time horizon, though.
It’s a very interesting thesis. Thank you for sharing. I’ve never looked at these communities through this lens and in the context of the ramifications of AI and economic displacement. I can definitely see how the scenarios you have laid could occur. One being, the forced assimilation of the Luddite’s to the dictums of the technological “utopia”, making a large group of individuals vulnerable to the dictates of a charismatic populist offering easy solutions and salvation.
There is historical precedent for this. The Industrial Revolution led to the rise of communism and labor organization and revolts around the world.
Yes. The settling of the American prairies and the nomadic horse tribes of North America being another.
What do you fear more, Technological tyranny or a populist neo-Luddite resistance? Or is it the conflict between the two that is more concerning?
We should have a healthy fear for all of these things, I think.
Yes. I find myself now checking my own presumptions, as I tend to sympathize and connect to the neo-Luddite as result of who I am, where I come from, and how I was raised. I see how I would be susceptible to that narrative. I’ve got a healthy fear of technology, but I have never considered it from the other side. 🙏💜.