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Tech oligarchs are gambling our future on a fantasy | Adam Becker
- Tech billionaires' embrace of the far right is not a sudden shift but a return to the core ideology of Silicon Valley, characterized by far-right libertarian views.
- The leaders of the tech industry have always held right-wing ideals, evident in their visions of the future, such as Elon Musk's dream of Mars colonization and Sam Altman's belief in super-intelligent AI.
- These futuristic visions reflect desires for total autocratic control and libertarian paradises, where companies like SpaceX and Amazon hold immense power over residents of Mars colonies or space stations.
- AI is another cornerstone of tech billionaires' future dreams, despite doubts among AI researchers about achieving AGI (Artificial General Intelligence) in the near future.
- The concept of the Singularity, where AI surpasses human capabilities, is deeply ingrained in Silicon Valley's worldview, portraying a utopian future where democracy becomes obsolete.
- The faith in technological salvation drives tech oligarchs to bet on AGI solving complex global issues like climate change, with figures like Eric Schmidt and Sam Altman banking on AI to provide solutions.
- Altman's optimism in using AGI to address climate crises, by asking it to solve fundamental problems at planetary scales, raises concerns about the practicality of relying on nonexistent super-intelligence.
- The tech billionaires' unwavering belief in a techno-utopian future offers them moral justification but lacks tangible benefits for the broader society, emphasizing an increasing disconnect from reality.
- Adam Becker, a science journalist and astrophysicist, delves into the tech oligarchs' ideologies and their pursuits in his book 'More Everything Forever', highlighting the impact of Silicon Valley on humanity's future.
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