The Ottoman Empire’s attempts to ban the printing press is a key historical example of the folly of deceleration.

Interestingly, @mustafasuleyman, one of the founders of DeepMind, recently published a book, The Coming Wave, in which he used this historical example as evidence of why AI development cannot be stopped.

BUT Suleyman then goes on to argue that the state must still try to control AI as much as possible—including banning open source, requiring AI developers to have government-issued licenses, and full censorship of the public’s ability to engage on the topic. It’s one of the most strident calls for government control of technology that I have ever read.