It makes sense that after reading Marc Andreessen's "techno-optimist manifesto," you'd feel a little confused and then ask yourself: Is a billionaire venture capitalist who backs Bitcoin cool?
After all, a 5,000-word essay published Monday on the website of venture capital fund a16z includes the following lines: “Love has no scale. . . We continue with money”; "We believe in the romance of technology. . . the age of the train, the carriage, the electric light” and perhaps most importantly; "We believe that any slowdown in artificial intelligence will cost human lives.
But the main argument in Silicon Valley is that “there is no financial problem; . . cannot be solved by additional technology", they not only see nothing unusual in this, but also believe that it is truly a work of genius.
“This is the way forward,” Brian Armstrong, founder of cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase, told X. “Decel stories are all around us in popular culture and elite gatherings. Thank you @a16z for being a breath of fresh air,” he added. Having a16z as an investor probably makes it cooler.
Now, if you're wondering what Armstrong might be talking about when he says "slowing down history," let me explain. "Decel" means "to slow down" and is a somewhat pejorative slang term used by people who consider themselves part of the nascent "e/acc community".
On the other hand, "E/acc" stands for "effective acceleration," an ideology espoused by Andreessen based on the idea that the development of technology, especially artificial intelligence, should not only continue indefinitely, but also accelerate.
"We believe that we are, have been, and always will be masters of technology without being dominated by technology," Andresen writes. “A victim mentality is anathema, unnecessary and counterproductive in all areas of life, including our relationship with technology. We are not victims, we are winners .
He had a similar, wide-ranging debate with Sam Harris on a recent episode of Simast , explaining to Harris how remarkable and infallible he thinks artificial general intelligence (AGI) is.
"The reason it works, this discovery, is because we bought into it. . . It looks like the largest and most detailed mirror in the world. "It's unbelievable," he said. When a less optimistic Harris pointed out to Andreessen that while AGI is a reflection of humanity, it would also reflect the evil in humans, Andreessen's answer became clear. “So what's the moral of every story? The moral of every story is that the good guys win."
I don't know if they would consider me "slow"; On the one hand, I'm not sure if stopping the development of artificial intelligence is useful or possible, especially considering that it is not only Western countries that are working on it. But I am convinced that Andreessen's blind faith in all technology is dangerous.
Of course, this is also deeply selfish. Going back to Armstrong's tweet, I wonder how a man who has amassed a $3.3 billion fortune by taking a commission every time he buys and sells one of the 242 worthless cryptocurrencies he offers on his platform can speak in front of a man. . "elites" with a fortune of 1.8 billion dollars. But this is exactly the kind of techno-populist rhetoric that the crypto-brethren have been cramming into their pockets for years.
Given the direction cryptocurrencies were headed last year when a16z launched a $4.5 billion cryptocurrency fund, it's no surprise that Andreessen never mentions cryptocurrencies or "Web3" (remember that) in his tech pitches. However, he rejects the classic statement that “decentralization uses complexity for the benefit of all; concentration will make you hungry." It's hard to take this line seriously from a venture fund manager with $35 billion in assets.
It's also hard to accept the idea that the technology is entirely positive and should be allowed to accelerate indefinitely in the face of a morally bankrupt cryptocurrency scene. But beyond AI and cryptocurrencies, there are many other areas that technology is disrupting. for example, smartphones and social media have had a devastating effect on the mental health of children and adolescents.
Simply having more is not the solution to our biggest problems. The only things that can really help are the things that don't increase: compassion, kindness, compassion, and yes, love.
jemima.kelly@ft.com
Reply letter to this column .
Three cheers for a bold financial column / Paul Drexler, Seattle, Washington, USA
