Chief Prognosticator

Don’t Fear the Future

Here is something I take to heart and to mind often — don’t fear the future. Humanity has found a way to manage for thousands of years of modern history and has figured out the way. Take fossil fuels for instance — we are running out of them. But I firmly believe that, following the economic laws of supply and demand, energy companies will make new technologies in time and make them cost effective. That doesn’t mean we shouldn’t care about the environment though, but I also feel that humans are on the right path and that we will avoid dire consequences. How do I know this — I don’t, but I simple don’t fear the future.

Another example is the case of robotics and artificial intelligence. What if we make robots too smart? What if they figure out they don’t need us and take over the world? Sounds scary, but I don’t believe this is justification to stop research in AI. Again, I firmly believe that we will find the way and the future will be safe.

Lastly, a final contention concerns the power of technology. I don’t believe we can say anything is impossible. Maybe exceeding the speed of light, but that’s about it. Thinking about all the truly amazing things humanity has accomplished (wireless communication? space travel? the Internet?) there is no doubt in my mind that the best is yet to come and we wil be able to things we can’t even hypothesize yet.

In the next few posts, I will make some wild predictions which will almost certainly come true in the next 100, 1000, or 10,000 years.