our Twitter (X) feedView our Youtube channelView our Instagram feedView our Substack feedView our Spotify feed AI will likely impact everything from the economy to the battlefield, but exactly how remains to be seen. Science and TechPhilosophyArtificial IntelligenceTechnological Progress In November 2022, I took on a writing assignment that, looking back, may have had a bigger impact on my life than any other: interview ChatGPT. It was the first day that OpenAI’s tool was available to the public, and my goal was to try to make sense of the tech — and then help readers make sense of it — by asking it questions about itself.
The conversation turned out to be, well, a bit boring. More than half of the AI’s answers started with “As a large language model …,” and its responses tended to downplay AI’s potential for disruption. No, I didn’t need to worry that it would take my job (“As a large language model, I am not capable of taking on the role of a writer …”).
And while ChatGPT conceded that AI _could_ lead to more low-quality content online, it told me it was too soon to make any accurate predictions about its effect on the internet or search results. I didn’t know it at the time, but that interaction kickstarted in earnest the development of my AI worldview. Previously, AI had felt like something far removed from real life — or my real life, at least.
Algorithms may be pulling strings behind the scenes of my social media feeds, but I’d never had to ask a machine point-blank whether it was gunning for my career — let alone wrestle with the question of whether I could trust its answer. This manifestation of the technology was _different_. In the three-plus years since that strange interview, AI has only gotten more powerful.
When I asked ChatGPT this morning the same exact question I did in 2022 (“Should writers be worried that you’ll take our jobs?”), its answer started with a blunt “Yes,” followed by a nuanced breakdown of the various aspects of writing that are automatable and how the labor market might respond to AI-generated writing. Threats to my livelihood aside, my beliefs about AI are still evolving. Some days, I think it could solve the world’s greatest problems.
Other days, I think it might join the list of them. Many of those closest to AI — the ones building the models, funding the startups, and recommending the policies — have already formed strong opinions about the tech, though, and as I wrestle with my own beliefs about AI and how we should use it, I find it helpful to consider what these experts think. So, as your primer for this issue, here are 10 ways to think about AI, the influential figures associated with each, and what’s at risk if society adopts or dismisses these philosophies. **Core belief:** The benefits of technological progress outweigh its harms, and while AI will be disruptive, it will ultimately be a net positive for society. **In a quote:** “If history is any guide, we will figure out new things to do and new things to want, and assimilate new tools quickly … Expectations will go up, but capabilities will go up equally quickly, and we’ll all get better stuff.” – Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI (2025) **Risk of adopting:** Confidence that AI will ultimately lead us to a better world could cause us to underestimate harms along the way, such as the social upheaval of a sudden rise in unemployment or disputes about who should control AI. **Risk of dismissing:** We could let concerns about AI delay — or even prevent — us from reaching a world where humanity is healthier, happier, and richer than at any point in history. **Core belief**: Because we don’t entirely understand how AI works, we can’t guarantee that a superintelligent AI would be aligned with our goals and values.
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