AI and the meaning of life.

The real questions about AI are actually questions about human flourishing. How much of a person’s life should be determined by work? What level of labor should be necessary to meet basic needs?

I’ve wrestled with this question before AI came into the equation. On the one hand I enjoy the labor of my hands, the challenge of creating something, of remixing, of attempting to find clarity in the chaos. As a teenager I found that I had a talent for illustration. Serendipity led to connections where others were willing to pay me for that talent, and thus began my career.

The question of human flourishing, the meaning of life, why we’re here, are all questions that really have been around forever. They didn’t start with AI.

As for my labor. I don’t want to work 24 hours/day to make a living. I do love to create, and appreciate that the desire to create is enough to live on. But there are so many other things in life worth doing outside of labor.

For me AI is a tool that I’m hoping helps me do things I couldn’t do before. Most recently I was able to create a tiny WordPress plugin using ChatGPT. I couldn’t have done that on my own, and having a copilot to help me was amazing.

The most urgent conversation about AI isn’t about its capabilities or risks, but about the kind of life we want it to help us create.

The life I want to create is where I can do cool things, help others, and have community.

Via Christopher Butler.