AI and Our Future

In addition to being a writer, I've also been teaching computers how to do things for the past 20 years.

About two years ago, I made a robot named will. He lives in chat rooms, and he's helpful, friendly, and seems reasonably intelligent. At one place I worked, a new staff member asked if we had tax paperwork for him, not knowing he was in fact software.

Will (and robots like him) are important to us - not just as individuals, but for the future of humanity.

I've been meaning to write an introduction to artificial intelligence (AI), to try and paint a picture of what I can see, standing on the edge of tech - and what it means for our future.

But wonderfully, Tim Urban over at Wait But Why just did it for me.

If you're interested in the future, our society, and what technology will mean for us - and soon - this is required reading.

No stories from Medellín this week. Just a well-written, well-researched piece to get you thinking about a future that's likely just a few decades away.

Read: AI and the Future of Humanity

Have a great week, and be nice to your computers,

-Steven

p.s. The most important thing I read all week was that piece above. But the best one was by Kevin Van Valkenburg, a senior writer at ESPN, on the importance of storytelling. It will light your heart.