I cherish the idea of freedom — being present in this world, observing, and actively pursuing goals I set for myself. But reality paints a different picture. I’m a citizen bound by countless rules I never authored and often disagree with. Every paycheck, the government takes its cut to fund projects I vehemently oppose. Yet society, for all its flaws, provides goods and services that tip the scales toward a net positive.
If given the choice, I’d still pick this deeply imperfect society over a stone-age libertarian utopia. Though I never got to choose between absolute freedom and a rule-bound society, I’m fortunate to prefer the latter.
This preference will likely persist as AI transforms our world. Consider the network effects of AI — it’s not merely about enhanced health giving you more time with grandchildren. It’s about everyone around you operating at peak efficiency, each contributing to the very society that empowers them.
Imagine pursuing knowledge in this new world. You won’t just have more time to study — you’ll have an LLM assistant, enhanced health, heightened mental stimulation, perhaps even brain-computer interfaces. For such augmented individuals, mastering chemistry to build weapons would require far less effort than today, while the potential damage remains catastrophically high.
There’s no way around this dilemma. Despite my deep skepticism of government, some form of power hierarchy will be essential to prevent inevitable super-villains. I’m not suggesting this role should be filled by anything resembling today’s thoroughly corrupt, short-sighted, and disappointing governments. But the role must exist.
Current power structures won’t voluntarily relinquish control — they’d rather rule over ruins than live as ordinary citizens in utopia. If AI develops too slowly, today’s corrupt institutions may adapt and permanently wield AI’s power for their own myopic ends. This scenario seems far more likely than the paperclip apocalypse. Paradoxically, we may need to accelerate AI development for safety — but that safety comes at freedom’s expense.
To any libertarian thinkers reading this: I urge you to descend from your ivory towers and examine the future we’re entering. Your ideas may be antiquated, but the struggle for freedom has been reborn in a new context. While I’m inclined to believe AI will solve these dilemmas for us, that story is being written now. If you truly value freedom, I dare you to contemplate what freedom means in a utopia of supermen.
Co-authored by Sean McHugh & Claude Opus 4
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