Optimism Is Not Naive

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Monday morning, Zack Kass took the Mainstage to present his keynote address to ATD26 attendees. He has spent 16 years on the front lines of artificial intelligence and is the former head of go-to-market at OpenAI.

Monday morning, Zack Kass took the Mainstage to present his keynote address to ATD26 attendees. He has spent 16 years on the front lines of artificial intelligence and is the former head of go-to-market at OpenAI.

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During his presentation, Kass defined “unmetered intelligence” and explained how he believes it will affect our lives for better and for worse.

During his presentation, Kass defined “unmetered intelligence” and explained how he believes it will affect our lives for better and for worse.

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With the proliferation of technological advances, notably AI, Kass is cautious of the ensuing effects. “We need to make sure machines work with us and not against us,” he said. “We need machines that are both passive (they do not require constant attention) and easy (self-evident to operate).” That is how we will create a fairer and more accessible world, he explained.

With the proliferation of technological advances, notably AI, Kass is cautious of the ensuing effects. “We need to make sure machines work with us and not against us,” he said. “We need machines that are both passive (they do not require constant attention) and easy (self-evident to operate).” That is how we will create a fairer and more accessible world, he explained.

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When that happens, Kass said we will arrive at the theory of unmetered intelligence. He explained that unmetered intelligence “means you will have access to brilliance. And what we do with it individually and collectively will define everything.”

When that happens, Kass said we will arrive at the theory of unmetered intelligence. He explained that unmetered intelligence “means you will have access to brilliance. And what we do with it individually and collectively will define everything.”

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Kass argued that unmetered intelligence will complicate and compromise our lives in four ways.

Kass argued that unmetered intelligence will complicate and compromise our lives in four ways.

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Idiocracy—when an individual discovers that critical thinking is no longer important to survival. Thanks to technology, the access to information and to understanding how to do something is “greater than ever,” Kass noted. Therefore, “the purpose of a school should not be to teach someone everything they need to know, but to teach someone how to know and—more importantly—why.”

Idiocracy—when an individual discovers that critical thinking is no longer important to survival. Thanks to technology, the access to information and to understanding how to do something is “greater than ever,” Kass noted. Therefore, “the purpose of a school should not be to teach someone everything they need to know, but to teach someone how to know and—more importantly—why.”

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Dehumanization—when an individual finds more interest in the digital or virtual world than the physical one. “We need to reinvest in the physical world that we have long forsaken,” Kass remarked. One way to do so, he recommended, is to “celebrate the local politicians who want to make a physically better world very quickly for your children, and unelect the ones who don’t.”

Dehumanization—when an individual finds more interest in the digital or virtual world than the physical one. “We need to reinvest in the physical world that we have long forsaken,” Kass remarked. One way to do so, he recommended, is to “celebrate the local politicians who want to make a physically better world very quickly for your children, and unelect the ones who don’t.”

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Bad acting—the ability for an individual to tear at the fabric of society (think cyberbullies and hackers, for example). To combat that, he suggested acknowledging that the physical world is safer than the online world; cutting the red tape so the “good actors can supercharge the government entities and the private sector companies that need to protect us”; and passing “terrifying legislation to scare the pants off” bad actors.

Bad acting—the ability for an individual to tear at the fabric of society (think cyberbullies and hackers, for example). To combat that, he suggested acknowledging that the physical world is safer than the online world; cutting the red tape so the “good actors can supercharge the government entities and the private sector companies that need to protect us”; and passing “terrifying legislation to scare the pants off” bad actors.

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Job displacement—the economic consequences of robots taking our jobs. Who benefits from automation? Everyone, eventually, Kass argued. So, the problem isn’t necessarily that robots will take our jobs, it’s that we will have to endure identity displacement, which Kass described as the pain of separating our work from our purpose. “Are we going to know who we are if we can’t constantly say, ‘this is my career’?” He added: “This is going be something that we all go through, rediscovering what it actually means to be human.”

Job displacement—the economic consequences of robots taking our jobs. Who benefits from automation? Everyone, eventually, Kass argued. So, the problem isn’t necessarily that robots will take our jobs, it’s that we will have to endure identity displacement, which Kass described as the pain of separating our work from our purpose. “Are we going to know who we are if we can’t constantly say, ‘this is my career’?” He added: “This is going be something that we all go through, rediscovering what it actually means to be human.”

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Unmetered intelligence is not all bad, however. Kass went on to explain how he believes it will reduce suffering and increase joy.

Unmetered intelligence is not all bad, however. Kass went on to explain how he believes it will reduce suffering and increase joy.

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  Expansion of human potential

  Expansion of human potential

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  Scientific breakthroughs

  Scientific breakthroughs

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  Deflation

  Deflation

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  Time (living longer and getting more time in the day)

  Time (living longer and getting more time in the day)

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Kass closed by sharing what he believes people should do to prepare:

Kass closed by sharing what he believes people should do to prepare:

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Anchor your mission, vision, and values. “Do the work to tell people what you believe in even if it’s not actually the right thing to believe, because that is so much harder and so much more valuable,” Kass said.

Anchor your mission, vision, and values. “Do the work to tell people what you believe in even if it’s not actually the right thing to believe, because that is so much harder and so much more valuable,” Kass said.

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Adapt your ways and means. “Not the why but the what ,” he explained. “The technology changes a ton. Be super adaptable to the tools that you use to get to the castle on the hill.”

Adapt your ways and means. “Not the why but the what,” he explained. “The technology changes a ton. Be super adaptable to the tools that you use to get to the castle on the hill.”

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Learn how to learn. “Employers are going to care about your ability to acquire more [knowledge], and learning how to learn will guarantee that,” Kass noted.

Learn how to learn. “Employers are going to care about your ability to acquire more [knowledge], and learning how to learn will guarantee that,” Kass noted.

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Go outside. “There’s so much more in this world to be explored. Go explore it. Go be in it.”

Go outside. “There’s so much more in this world to be explored. Go explore it. Go be in it.”

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Be human. The measures of a human—curiosity, empathy, courage, wisdom, humor, and morality—“can in fact be the things we’ve long dismissed as soft skills,” Kass stated. “Maybe these are in fact the only skills.”

Be human. The measures of a human—curiosity, empathy, courage, wisdom, humor, and morality—“can in fact be the things we’ve long dismissed as soft skills,” Kass stated. “Maybe these are in fact the only skills.”

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He noted that “We have created a world where the screen has invaded every ounce of interstitial space that we once had”—such as boredom, random joy, and spontaneity. “We’ve got to fight back for a world … where human connection is so much more valuable than time on the screen.”

He noted that “We have created a world where the screen has invaded every ounce of interstitial space that we once had”—such as boredom, random joy, and spontaneity. “We’ve got to fight back for a world … where human connection is so much more valuable than time on the screen.”

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Read more about ATD26 at conferencedaily.td.org .

Read more about ATD26 at conferencedaily.td.org.