AI Superpowers: China, Silicon Valley, and the New World Order

by Kai-Fu Lee

SILICON VALLEY’S “MAGIC WAND” MENTALITY In observing Silicon Valley’s surge in interest around UBI, I believe some of that advocacy has emerged from a place of true and genuine concern for those who will be displaced by new technologies. But I worry that there’s also a more self-interested component: Silicon Valley entrepreneurs know that their billions in riches and their role in instigating these disruptions make them an obvious target of mob anger if things ever spin out of control. With that fear fresh in their minds, I wonder if this group has begun casting about for a quick fix to problems ahead. The mixed motivations of these people shouldn’t lead us to outright dismiss the solutions they put forth. This group, after all, includes some of the most creative business and engineering minds in the world today. Silicon Valley’s tendency to dream big, experiment, and iterate will all be helpful as we navigate these uncharted waters. But an awareness of these motivations should sharpen our critical engagement with proposals like UBI. We should be aware of the cultural biases that engineers and investors bring with them when tackling a new problem, particularly one with profound social and human dimensions. Most of all, when evaluating these proposed solutions, we must ask what exactly they’re trying to achieve. Are they seeking to ensure that this technology genuinely and truly benefits all people across society? Or are they looking only to avert a worst-case scenario of s...