The coming era of prosperity promised by AI, and what the Bible can teach us about it
AI, LLMs and robotics are carrying us into an era of prosperity. But we have been here before, and it never made us happier. The grass of a neighbor is always greener, and that one trait is both what pushes us to be better and what pushed Cain to kill Abel.
Key takeaways
- We have been here before. Ask a person in the medieval era what heaven is and they would describe an ordinary Tuesday for us. We already live in their paradise, and it did not make us happier.
- The people in the most developed countries, with the highest quality of life, are often the least happy and the most stressed.
- The grass of a neighbor is always greener. No matter how well you live, you look over the fence and you see the spots where it is greener. And that bothers you.
- That trait is constructive. It pushes you to be better, to be self-aware, to show the best of yourself. It is also destructive, and it is why Cain killed Abel.
- AI will probably mean a higher unemployment rate and more stress, not less. Sometimes, in order to be happy, you do not need everything in the world.
We are moving into the era of prosperity. AI, LLMs and robotics will automate a lot of labour. We will not need money. We will not need to work.
That is the promise. But humanity has been through this kind of technical revolution many times. Each time the quality of life went up, and each time we did not find ourselves back in the Garden of Eden. The people living in the societies with the highest quality of life are often the least happy and the most stressed ones.
So what makes you believe that this time it is going to be any different?
Transcript
Hey guys!
With the recent advancements in AI, robotics and manufacturing, we are moving to the era of prosperity. You will not have to work. You will not need money.
Sounds like a paradise. But there is always a but. It’s not as simple.
We’ve been to this multiple times throughout the human history. If you go back to the medieval era and ask any person what heaven is, they will tell you: oh, it’s a place where you cannot be killed on the street and you won’t starve to death tomorrow. Right? From that perspective, we’re already living in the paradise. But there is always a but. That does not make our life any happier.
In fact, most of the people living in the developed countries, the most developed countries, having the highest quality of life today, they’re the least happiest people in this world. The social surveys show it all the time. They’re the most stressed ones. They’re running. They’re trying to do something. They’re trying to get higher and higher and higher.
And the reason for that is very simple. The grass of a neighbor is always greener. No matter how well you live, you always look at your neighbor’s grass and you always see the spots where it is greener. And that bothers you. And you want to be better.
So that’s a principle that is constructive in some sense. It’s not a principle, it’s a trait. A trait of a human being that is constructive, because it pushes you to be better, to be self-aware, to become better, to push yourself, to show the best of yourself.
But it’s also a trait that, when some people take shortcuts, can show the dark side of you. For example, one of the first sins described in the Bible is the story of Cain and Abel. And I believe that’s not a coincidence. That’s one of the first sins. I’m not a Bible expert, but I believe it’s the second one, right after they were expelled from the heaven. And that shows how important it is, and how fundamental it is to our nature.
So just be aware that with the era of prosperity, you are not likely to be any happier. In fact, probably the new technological advancements in AI and LLMs and blah blah blah will lead to high unemployment rate, and will lead to more stress in the society. And you will find yourself putting much more effort to fight for your status in the society.
So keep it in mind. Sometimes, in order to be happy, you don’t need everything in the world. Take it easy, and try to enjoy the journey as much as possible.
This is my casual rubric on the political comments from Dmitri.
See you guys. Enjoy!
Sources and further reading
- Genesis 3 and Genesis 4. The video has the order right: the expulsion from Eden comes first, and Cain killing Abel is the story immediately after it.
- Does Economic Growth Improve the Human Lot? Some Empirical Evidence, by Richard Easterlin (1974). The original statement of the Easterlin paradox: within a country, rising income does not raise average reported happiness over the long run. This is the measured version of “we already live in their paradise, and it did not make us happier”.
Comments