What’s the point of Artificial Intelligence?

Google released its Gemini 3 model this week and it appears to be another leap forward in AI. 

Also this week, Elon Musk predicted that in 10 to 20 years work will be optional.

The graph below shows the human population since the agrarian revolution 12,000 years ago. The big inflection point came later with the industrial revolution. 

We’ve managed to become the reigning species on a planet where we’re not the fastest or the strongest living creature. Intelligence has been our competitive advantage. AI will take that intelligence to a whole new level. 

Another inflection point is happening right now. This time the outcome is not population growth. It is something else and we have to figure out what that is.

Limitless intelligence 

Since at least the time of Buddha and Jesus, human suffering has been at the center of our culture. Technological change has not, as far as I can tell, eliminated fear, anxiety, depression and many other emotions that served us well in the path towards 8 billion humans. 

Technology has created an abundance of physical resources, which are important. But it has failed to deliver on more profound dimensions like personal happiness and serenity. We are still running our lives with a fear mindset, aiming to “win” a zero-sum fight for survival. 

Pain is still very much present in that fight. 

AI has the potential to eliminate everything that we consider a problem. Personal health, global poverty, climate change, you name it. It also has the potential to destroy anything or anyone who is considered a threat. Other cultures for example. 

Einstein’s moment

We are approaching the moment of decision that Einstein talked about. In his words:

“I think the most important question facing humanity is, ‘Is the universe a friendly place?’ This is the first and most basic question all people must answer for themselves.

For if we decide that the universe is an unfriendly place, then we will use our technology, our scientific discoveries and our natural resources to achieve safety and power by creating bigger walls to keep out the unfriendliness and bigger weapons to destroy all that which is unfriendly and I believe that we are getting to a place where technology is powerful enough that we may either completely isolate or destroy ourselves as well in this process.

If we decide that the universe is neither friendly nor unfriendly and that God is essentially ‘playing dice with the universe’, then we are simply victims to the random toss of the dice and our lives have no real purpose or meaning.

But if we decide that the universe is a friendly place, then we will use our technology, our scientific discoveries and our natural resources to create tools and models for understanding that universe. Because power and safety will come through understanding its workings and its motives.”

That is the decision in our hands today. If we put these new technologies in the hands of people who use them as weapons for control and power, we will become a meaningless footnote in the history of the university. 

If on the other hand we use AI to understand each other and the universe we inhabit, we have a shot at becoming something special. For those of us who believe in God, this was the plan all along. But it is not a foregone conclusion. Oh no. We have been given an opportunity, not a guaranteed result. 

Einstein closed his reflection by saying that “God does not play dice with the universe”. Agreed. We are either friendly or not. AI will help us decide who we really are. I am hopeful.