Ripples of Humanity
I wrote this short reflection after reading "Machines of Loving Grace" by Dario Amodei (Anthropic CEO). You can find his writing here https://darioamodei.com/machines-of-loving-grace
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I'm constantly internally reflecting on my personal responsibility to humanity. Whether its the ethics of technology or the impact of my consumption on the world, I've been trying to vocalize these thoughts because I think it's important for myself and others to challenge our ways of thinking and create new stories out of them.
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We are in a time between stories. The tension that people feel online and in reality is a pattern of the same unease that is in politics, in our government, in our institutions and in our workplaces. There is not one person one earth who does not feel a bit uneasy about where our collective humanity is going - myself included. For me, this unease starts on a personal level, every time I open my phone and go on social media the fighting and fear is palpable.
I think deeply about what the future should look like and what kind of leaders I want my children or great-grandchildren to grow up with. I've come to the conclusion that in a complex world, there are only complex choices and leaders must choose the choice that's best for the collective - I'm willing to support this type of leader or even be the leader if needed. My favourite writer, which I get most of my inspiration from, is Charles Eisenstein. I often read his book The More Beautiful World our Hearts Know is Possible to ground me in the work I do.
The work of Ken Wilber's Integral theory influences my approach to understanding where humanity is consciously and collectively and why we are moving through a time of what he calls "Teal" - Teal organizations are based on self-management, trust, and a shared purpose. I think each type of technology that humans create is unavoidable and indeed is a necessary part of our evolution as a conscious species. it's as if we are constantly testing ourselves to see if humanity is ready to learn to work together. These authors taught me that technology alone is not enough - we need an accompanying shift in values and societal structures to advance all of humanity together.
I work in one of the most political industries - Oil and Gas, specializing in Cybersecurity governance, risk and policy among other things. It's political because of the money involved - there is just so much to gain and people really do anything to get ahead. The positive and negatives of this industry is confusing for my psyche and quite honestly for my heart. For example, Oil and gas provides the energy and plastics we need to create a economy and power the world, but it is historically exploitative and destroyed the beautiful natural habitats in my country, Canada.
I think the AI industry experiences this type of struggle in much the same way where one end is immeasurable wealth through destruction and one end is peace through cooperation. My home province, Alberta, is proposing a giant multi-billion dollar AI datacenter. On one hand it will provide jobs and potentially put us as leader in AI development, but at what cost? The Lil Smokey river will be used to cool the servers and carbon-capture tech will be used to power some of the machinery. Will the river water temperature increase, and how exactly is pressurized carbon safe if we don't have proper emergency management protocols in place…?
This technology is located in Northern Alberta, any impacts to the soil, water or air will affect the southern cities where the majority of Albertan live. Alberta already experiences droughts, and its not clear how we will get drinking water to our cities when the government sets a precedent to use clean river water to cool server rooms. I still struggle to find balance in this mix but I think the answer is somewhere in the middle based in a honest approach. We need to be honest with what the collective is giving up when we progress, and choose a solution that is good for the earth and good for humanity.
I'm a positive realist and protopian, I don't think its naive to believe in the goodness and kindness in people. I strongly believe in compassion for humanity and all living beings on earth. This does not mean I don't acknowledge the evils and injustices of the world. But as someone who works in governance, risk and policy, the reality is that a policy is something made for the collective and it cannot please everybody. It is the individual responsibility of each human being to uplift and uphold the virtues that make society beautiful. It's only my responsibility to be honest and open-hearted in what I do, and set an example for everybody else.
I believe that if a critical mass of people set an integral example for others, we will reach a tipping point and coupled with AI development we could steer humanity's collective ship towards a future that is based on a and kinder existence rather than one based in scarcity and fear.
In my free time I learn by meeting people. I volunteer for ISACA Calgary as the Communications director, I host events and speak on topics such as Cybersecurity, AI and Quantum. I also volunteer at music festivals across North America. I've been to Burning Man, New Human, Shambhala, Bass Coast and countless other festivals. I also volunteer for political events around my city, I like to experience both sides of the debate and go to events for both the NDP (Canadian-Left) and UCP (Canadian-Right). And when there's nothing else to do I spend my time playing musical instruments and hosting women's circles.
I find that the experience of meeting people who are diverse and different than myself has allowed given me a type of diplomacy and problem solving language that only someone who is open to meeting people can attain. This, coupled with my discernment and expertise has proven impactful in working with clients across multiple intersectional and political perspectives.
