I recently listened to some leaders in tech as they discussed the need for more energy to power AI. They proposed that in the future we will need so much energy to power AI and Crypto that all forms of energy will be utilized. Then one of them said, “This means the climate crisis will have to wait, then we can use AI to help solve the climate problem.”
I don’t think this sounds like a very good idea. What happens if we reach a point of no return? What if the answer AI gives relies on the area we just sacrificed to get AI. Perhaps it would be better to work on both as the same time.
Personally I love the idea of having a personal AI assistant. And I want the Jetsons future I was promised as a kid. But not at the expense of clean water and fresh food. We could start employing permaculture principles in our communities. We could start using AI now to identify areas that will benefit most in every geographical region of our world. There is really no reason why we can’t advance AI, crypto, autonomous cars, jetpacks, flying cars and at the same time protect the environment. It just requires fresh eyes and new ideas.