Is There Life After Democracy? with Vijay Boyapati - WBD457

Location: Los Angeles
Date: Tuesday 1st February
Company: Independent
Role: Software Engineer and Author


In 2005 Ray Kurzweil introduced the idea of the singularity: a
point in the near future when artificial superintelligence
surpasses human intelligence. In his book “The Singularity is
Near”, Kurzweil embraced the benefits such a future presented
humans: “Our sole responsibility is to produce something smarter
than we are; any problems beyond that are not ours to solve.”


Yet, less than 2 decades later, technologists, futurists, and
philosophers are now envisaging potentially catastrophic futures
for our species. The conversion from the utopian to a dystopian
view of the future has roots in the development of the Fermi
paradox, i.e. why, despite high estimates for the existence of
extraterrestrial life, is there no clear and obvious evidence for
it?


One theory gaining wider acceptance is that there could be a
Great Filter: a barrier preventing intelligent colonisation of
the universe. Life may be unable to evolve into advanced
civilisations through being unable to manage technologies that
manifest existential risks. This is evident with existing
innovations: nuclear weapons, biotechnology, nanotechnology,
poorly designed AI etc.


The risks proliferate when such technology becomes cheap and
ubiquitous such that we can all harness great power: it is the
democratisation of mass destruction. A range of technologies that
can do irreparable harm could be within each individual’s grasp,
and our society has enough individuals willing to inflict such
harm.


So, technology has the potential to destroy us rather than
liberate us. How should we mitigate this potential future if it
is enabled by continued advances, decentralisation, and increased
freedoms?


In this interview, I talk to Software Engineer and Author Vijay
Boyapati. We discuss the Fermi paradox and the Great Filter,
whether solutions involve centralisation and reducing freedoms,
if society is best served by democracy, and the inevitable need
for humans to escape the earth.