This past week, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg published a 6,500 word open letter, external entitled "The Future is for Everyone". To some, it's an expression of hope in AI's promise. To others, it's little more than a verbose public relations exercise.
Zuckerberg's manifesto is the latest example of a tech boss opining on why AI is the next big thing. His vision echoes what AI leaders have expressed in various forms: the product they are building is among the "most important technologies in history." Marc Andreessen, co-founder of early web titan Netscape, perhaps started this trend in 2023 with a 5,000-word essay he called "The Techno-Optimist Manifesto", which argued innovation was the way to solve life's problems. Andreessen's writing began with him recounting lies he claimed people were spreading, and called for readers to push back against this.
"We believe growth is progress – leading to vitality, expansion of life, increasing knowledge, higher well being," he wrote. Zuckerberg's recent essay doesn't name names - but the Meta boss mimics Andreessen by questioning those who have warned about the negatives of future tech. "It is surprising that the discourse from many developing AI is so filled with doom," he writes.
As the International Monetary Fund (IMF) warns AI could affect nearly 40% of jobs and worsen global financial inequality, Zuckerberg says he believes there will be an abundance of jobs in the future. "I do not understand why anyone who believes that AI will eliminate most jobs and much of humanity's relevance would rush to build that future." Never mind that Zuckerberg's Meta has cut 10% of its global workforce - about 8,000 jobs - as the company reorganizes to focus on AI. 'Let's enjoy the ride' says Elon Musk, as AI fears mount Tech CEOs suddenly love blaming AI for mass job cuts. Zuckerberg's manifesto is the latest to land in our social media feeds in an effort to put a positive spin on AI.
In 2024, ChatGPT-maker OpenAI boss Sam Altman released a manifesto called "The Intelligence Age", a sweeping expression of optimism about the tech's potential. Human progress was poised to accelerate in dramatic fashion, he promised. "We need to act wisely but with conviction," he said.
That same year, in a manifesto titled "Machines of Loving Grace", Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei touted the potential of AI to transform everything from healthcare to politics. He framed it as an attempt to share the potential upsides of AI - and he didn't want to be seen as a doomer. Zuckerberg is no stranger to the long-winded essay format.
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