Everything Is About to Change
We stand at the precipice of a powerful new wave of technology centered on AI and synthetic biology. These exponential technologies promise immense benefits, from medical breakthroughs to clean energy. But they also introduce risks like job losses, misinformation, and even existential threats if misused.
According to technologist Mustafa Suleyman, this "coming wave" creates a dilemma - our future depends on these technologies yet could also be imperiled by them. Suleyman is well-positioned to assess the coming wave of technology. He is the CEO and Co-Founder of Inflection AI, and a venture partner at Greylock Partners. Suleyman also co-founded DeepMind, one of the world's most successful AI companies, which was acquired by Google. At DeepMind, he led teams deploying AI across healthcare, energy, and Google products before becoming Google's VP of AI.
So how do we ensure emerging technologies continue serving humanity? Suleyman calls this the "containment problem." Historically, technology inevitably spreads far and wide. But containing the ripples and unintended consequences of AI and biotech is crucial. In some cases, we may even need to limit their proliferation.
These tools evolve rapidly, enable asymmetric impacts, work across every domain, and display autonomy. Combined, they radically increase the power accessible to both good and bad actors. We must find a narrow path between two undesirable endpoints - a surveillance state that stifles progress or a catastrophe from uncontrolled development.
Suleyman proposes we need a comprehensive containment program that builds safety into the technologies, audits them for accountability, restricts proliferation if necessary, incentivizes responsible development, establishes government regulations, creates international institutions, fosters a culture of caution, pushes social movements for responsible tech, and integrates all these mechanisms coherently.
This will be challenging but necessary. With exponential change compressing centuries of progress into mere years, consequences resonate globally in hours. Containment provides control during this rapid upheaval. It offers hope of forging a path between openness and caution, safety and progress.
The coming wave of technology cannot be stopped. But with foresight and wisdom, we can shape it into a force that enhances rather than endangers humanity's future. Containment may seem impossible, but for all our sakes, it must be possible. The time to start is now!
Suleyman was recently interviewed by both the Guardian newspaper and Sam Harris, on his Making Sense podcast.
