G.A.I.A. Quotes

“The 21st century technologies—genetics, nanotechnology, and robotics—are so powerful that they can spawn whole new classes of accidents and abuses. Most dangerously, for the first time, these accidents and abuses are widely within the reach of individuals or small groups. They will not require large facilities or rare raw materials. Knowledge alone will enable the use of them.”
― J.J. Wisdom, G.A.I.A.: A World on the Brink in the Age of A.I.

“In 1994, 84% of the world’s energy came from fossil fuels. Today, it remains at 84%, but the world is now using three times as much energy as it did in 1994. Today—despite all of our green energy initiatives—global oil and coal production are at all-time highs at a time when they should be at all-time lows.”
― J.J. Wisdom, G.A.I.A.: A World on the Brink in the Age of A.I.

“There is a six-forked path ahead of us. Each path represents a possible future and a major paradigm shift for humanity. But we must act now. In 1924, Winston Churchill said, ‘The prevention of the supreme catastrophe ought to be the paramount object of all endeavor.’ History shows us what happens when we avoid, appease, and procrastinate while the seeds of that epic catastrophe grow stronger by the day.”
― J.J. Wisdom, G.A.I.A.: A World on the Brink in the Age of A.I.

“While gathering here… while we are having intellectual conversations, an epic battle for the future has already begun. The victors of this battle will control the future of human civilization. This is not a World War. It is more than that—for the victors will decide what it means to be human and how we will live together. This is not hyperbole. It is our reality. And in this battle, no one will have the option of sitting on the sidelines. This battle will not be fought with guns or missiles. It will be fought in the hearts and minds of every human being on this planet. And there will be no conscientious objectors. We are all enlisted, whether we like it or not, in a war for the future—and the stakes are nothing less than the survival of our species.”
― J.J. Wisdom, G.A.I.A.: A World on the Brink in the Age of A.I.

“We can contain these threats with the right regulatory frameworks. We always have.”
Anatole responded, “These are not our grandfather’s threats. Even the nuclear threat remains uncontained. We cannot put that genie back into its bottle.”
Braun pressed, “So, what is your solution?”
Anatole began to sweat visibly as he started his big reveal. “The superorganism demands our servitude. It demands growth, innovation, and invention. It demands our sacrifice. We cannot resist its clarion call. Can anyone explain why we need social media? Or cryptocurrency? Of course, you can. But you’d have a hard time explaining what problem these technologies solved. If the goals of progress are freedom, safety, health, and happiness, shouldn’t we stop and ask ourselves if we actually feel safer, freer, healthier, and happier?”
― J.J. Wisdom, G.A.I.A.: A World on the Brink in the Age of A.I.

“Also astonishing,” replied Anatole, “is the realization that civilizational threats are now multiplying quickly. And they’re becoming more powerful and dangerous. So far, our containment strategies have only been temporary fixes to what appear to be permanent, wicked problems. I ask you all to look closely at the graphic. Stare at it. Can you see it? Can you see that those thirty circles are actually one thing?”
― J.J. Wisdom, G.A.I.A.: A World on the Brink in the Age of A.I.

“Promising to unify us and democratize information, the Internet has instead become a weaponized divider and a power tool for propagandists. People who have hundreds of friends on social media report that they have fewer real friends. And they are having difficulty finding mates. In every developed nation, people now marry later or do not marry at all. Most concerning—a record number of suicides and overdose deaths tell the same story—that millions of people feel the future is not a desirable place to be. And billions who choose to stay in this world seek escape via a life lived in the safe virtual worlds of video games and A.I. chatbots.”
― J.J. Wisdom, G.A.I.A.: A World on the Brink in the Age of A.I.

“Someday, it may be said that these outcomes were not brought about by anything anyone did but instead by everything everyone did.”
― J.J. Wisdom, G.A.I.A.: A World on the Brink in the Age of A.I.