AI and the Metacrisis
Recent events have shown how the Strait of Hormuz is a ‘chokepoint’.
It’s [obviously] not the only one.
AI provides another interesting example - it’s easy to think of AI as being ‘in the cloud’, but it’s not: ultimately, AI depends on physical resources, right here in the ‘real’ world.
[As does everything else we do/make/consume/etc].
The slides below are part of a recent lecture series I did for the University of Girona, and are based on a section of Ed Conway’s revealing book, Material World. [Ed does brilliant explainers of this stuff - well worth a follow].
The number of potential chokepoints in the AI supply chain is extraordinary - and the ones I mention in the slides are just the tip of the iceberg.
We are globally connected like never before. Chokepoints like Hormuz show us clearly that what happens ‘over there’ affects what happens ‘over here’ [and everywhere else].
This is one reason why understanding the metacrisis matters.
If we can get better at seeing the connections - and the underlying drivers and incentives, maybe we can also come up with better responses than AI-generated memes of world ‘leaders’ as religious saviours …
If you’re interested in the rest of the lecture series, feel free to contact me.