Bounty concept
In the Existential Hope-podcast, we invite scientists to speak about long-termism. Each month, we drop a podcast episode where we interview a visionary scientist to discuss the science and technology that can accelerate humanity towards desirable outcomes. One of the questions we always ask is for the scientist to provide an example of a potential eucatastrophe. The phrase “eucatastrophe” was originally coined by JRR Tolkien as “the sudden happy turn in a story which pierces you with a joy that brings tears”
In a paper published by the Future of Humanity Institute, written by Owen Cotton-Barratt and Toby Ord, they use Tolkien’s term to suggest that ”an existential eucatastrophe is an event which causes there to be much more expected value after the event than before.” I.e. the opposite of a catastrophe.
Telling stories can help us make what seems abstract become real and clear in our minds. Therefore we have now created a bounty based on this prompt. Use this event as a story-device to show us the picture of a day in a life where this happens. How would this make us feel? How would we react? What hope can people get from this?
An example of a Eucatastrophe by Anthony Aguirre (Metaculus, Future of Life Institute)
“Widespread availability of personal AI assistants without self interest that empowers and assists individuals in achieving their goals.” Imagine a very powerful AI system that doesn't have self interest, that works for you personally in advancing your own goals and interests. This would empower individuals, and would use high powered information technologies for people rather than against them. It would be a personal assistant deluxe: A loyal AI assistant.
It would get to know you really well, and then help you achieve your goals. Rather than getting to know you really well so it can manipulate you like some other systems may do. The eucatastrophe would be to have widespread availability of these high powered, loyal AI assistants.
Very high powered ones could help you do science or solve difficult problems, and other ones can just be there to help you with your everyday life and navigating this incredibly complicated world that we're in that is full of information dynamics, and frankly things that are oftentimes trying to take advantage of you.
This would be a companion that wouldn't be annoying such as Siri or Alexa, because you wouldn't feel like you're in conflict with it all the time. It doesn't run counter to your complicated desires and goals, but is explicitly constructed to help you figure out what those complicated desires and goals are, and realize them on an individual basis.
Bounty prompt
Describe a day in the life when we have widespread availability of personal AI assistants without self interest that empowers and assists individuals in achieving their goals. Submit your bounty-response below for your chance to be rewarded 0.15 ETH.