AI as Social Technology: Moving Beyond Science Fiction Framings
By
Henry Farrell & Cosma Rohilla Shalizi
Slow-proofed and worth the wait. Worth its weight in flour.
Summary
The article argues that current debates about AI are rooted in 1990s science fiction concepts like the "Singularity" and super-intelligent AGI, which frame AI as a future existential threat or god-like tool. It suggests this framing is misleading and that AI should instead be understood as a social technology — one that shapes human interactions, institutions, and power structures in the present, rather than a distant sci-fi phenomenon.
Key quotes
· 3 pulledOur debates about 'AI' grow out of 1990s science fiction.
Humanity would then either be casually eliminated by out-of-control machines, or humans would become as gods, with super-human servitors at our command.
AI should be understood as a social technology — one that shapes human interactions, institutions, and power structures in the present.
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