We should not fear AI

I disagree with the fear surrounding the AI industry. If you listen too long to people like Sam Harris and neglect to consider any other sources, you might be convinced that the AI apocalypse is right around the corner...

I think this will only be the case if we continue to neglect educating ourselves about the AI industry.

If the average person has a working knowledge about the threats surrounding Artificial Intelligence, there is much less to fear. If Average Joe hypothetically understood the mechanics behind AI, the potential threats coming out of the industry, and how AI can be used responsibly, there would be much less to fear.

EVERY significant development in industries like AI, blockchain, AR, VR, and more SHOULD be front page news on every single paper around the world. These issues should be discussed on every news network, every classroom, and in every home.

But they're not! We are too obsessed with which political party is looking to gain more power despite the fact that these emerging industries have the potential to replace our need for government all together. We are too obsessed with watching the next game even though advancements in genetic engineering could turn each and every one of us into the super-athletes we obsessively watch, establishing a new normal for health and fitness.

Here's the problem: obviously, right now, the average person is NOT well educated about AI and other emerging technology.

In fact, most people don't even really know what AI is... They don't realize that their Facebook feed, their Netflix account, and their Amazon recommendations are all examples of Artificial Intelligence we use every day to live our lives.

When Average Joe thinks about AI, he thinks about dangerous robots coming to steal jobs and destroy the world.

Well, actually, Average Joe probably doesn't spend much of his day thinking about AI...

THAT is the problem.

AI is NOT the problem.

Lack of education is the key issue we need to work together to solve.

Emerging technologies like AI and Blockchain have the potential to save our species and literally jumpstart the next stage of human evolution... All we need to do is band together, educate the masses, and create a new standard in the world for the level of acceptable education for Average Joe.

You might be Lol'ing your little face off right now.

"'All' we need to do"

Easier said than done?

Only if we make it that way... It's up to people like us to make this change in the world if we really want to see it happen.

I don't fear AI. I fear complacency and a system that continues to drone forwards despite the obvious solutions right under our noses.

Solutions like putting down our TV remotes and reading a book that might help us make a positive change in the world.

Solutions like not settling for a shitty job and instead working hard to earn the positions or start the business you KNOW you were meant to have.

Solutions like having a tough conversation with someone about an important issue in your life.

You might be thinking "How is this all connected to AI? This dude's CRAZY".

(You're right on that second part)

The solution starts with ending complacency and apathy in our own lives. We cannot solve these problems at a mass level until we take the time to solve them for ourselves.