Are the AIs the real problem?

Photo by NASA on Unsplash

Some people think the AIs could potentially hurt us. Some tech founders wrote an open letter saying they are worried about the progress of their own inventions, fueling the worries of everyone else. But are the AIs the comfortable distraction from the bigger problem of how big companies hurt us and the environment?

Organisations such as oil or consumer goods companies, have gained a lot of power and control over us. They may have had good intentions once but now they seem to care only about making their stakeholders happy. They don’t care about how they hurt us and the planet. The Exxon memo in the Carbon Almanac (p. 46) shows how the company knew that burning oil causes climate change since the 1970s, but they did not stop.

We should not let technological inventions scare us. They may help us figure out new solutions to the real problem of climate change. We need to be mindful of how we grant power, no matter if to humans or technology. We should hold those with power responsible too. We need to use our power and our voice as people and customers. We need to understand that our lives depend on the planet being healthy. But most of all - we should make sure our focus remains intact.

As Alanis Obomsawim said: When the last tree is cut, the last fish is caught, and the last river is polluted; when to breathe the air is sickening, you will realize, too late, that wealth is not in bank accounts and that you can’t eat money.

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