Futurist Ari Wallach discusses psychological research on how mortality and death anxiety hinder people from engaging in long-term thinking.
Prediction Not checkable as stated
Wallach: Algorithmic decisions today will dictate human trajectory for 300 years
“The decisions that we make right now over the next, gosh, five, 10 years, even five months, which I know is very short term, but even at the algorithmic level, are going to dictate the course of our species, I think, for two to 300 years.”
Opinion
Wallach: AI leaders wield Oppenheimer-level power to create and destroy
“This is the same level of power and the ability to both create and the ability to destroy that we're dealing with. And what I, that's what I took away from Oppenheimer. I was like, wow, that much power with one individual, one small set of individuals. That's …”
Prediction Not checkable as stated
Wallach: The climate trajectory is surprisingly better than projected five years ago
“We've already seen the curve bend towards the better. If current trends continue, the planet and the biosphere we're on will be not amazing, but better than I thought even five years ago.”
Opinion
Wallach: Artificial intelligence optimizes for the near-term interests of its owners
“It seems to be optimizing for near-term business interests within a small group of owners.”
Opinion
Wallach: Media does a disservice covering AI like horse-race politics
“Journalism is doing a disservice by covering one of the most consequential aspects of our reality today in that way.”
Insight
Wallach: Futurists map macro trends rather than predicting specific events
“What they don't do, or at least what they shouldn't do is predict the future and tell you what's going to happen tomorrow. What futures do is they look at the major trends, the mega trends, the macro trends that are occurring.”