Zoltan Istvan is the figure of the US Transhumanist Party and is currently running as a Democrat for the governor of California. He believes that politicians don’t worry about the threat of artificial intelligence.
If guardrails are not implemented to curb the potential power of AI, two presidential candidates believe that humanity could be at risk. Beincrypto sat with Istvan to discuss these threats and how they envision a world in which humans and robots coexist.
From immortality to AI concerns
Zoltan Istvan is an outsider of the traditional American political scene. He describes himself as a libertarian, but considers the universal basic income required for social harmony. Istvan believes that soon science will find ways to reverse aging and achieve human immortality.
He also founded his political party based on the philosophy of transhumanism. Through this platform, ISTVAN advocates the widespread development and availability of new and future technologies to significantly improve human lifespan and overall well-being.
However, recently, Istvan has been focusing on longevity temporarily. Instead, a strong sense of moral obligation forced him to run for governor of California. Warning Americans about the dire threat can come when artificial intelligence achieves cognitive advantage over humans.
Is Super Intelligence an Existential Threat?
Artificial intelligence has grown exponentially in recent years, with some numbers like Elon Musk predicting that super intelligence could arrive early in 2026. For ISTVAN, this raises a major problem with civilization.
“Today, I have to deal with the biggest challenge facing humanity and what we need to deal with is to make sure artificial intelligence is beneficial to us and not become a super intelligence that we can’t control,” he told Beincrypto.
His reasons for this vary, but among his main concerns are the fear that humanoids can breed, overwhelm and accumulate more wealth than all human beings combined.
Despite this looming reality, Istvan is disappointed that the pace of AI’s rapid development is not a more prominent topic on the political agenda.
“No one wants to talk about AI. When talking about victory votes, I don’t want to hear any issues that no one can solve. I don’t want to hear that within five or ten years 99% of my work could be lost to automation or robots. This is not a victory strategy for politicians,” he said.
Nevertheless, these problems require potential solutions. Istvan has a few things in mind.
Who will manage the future of AI?
One of the key concerns about exponential growth in AI is the focus that companies with futures hold.
“In reality, only billionaires own AI, and that’s scary. People like Ben Goerzel argue that if we’re decentralized, then it’s likely that we’ll have better AI for us if it gets closer,” Isvtan told Beincrypto.
However, a more effective approach requires regulation. It’s even better if they’re cooperative.
“Another way to do that is to try and create guardrails. I think we can say that governments around the world, perhaps the US, China, Russia (the countries leading AI development) can come together and hear.
However, he realized that the possibility of this event was small. For this reason, it is up to the US to take the problem into your own hands.
A good way to get there is to recognize this threat, especially from the position of power.
Management in the new era of automation
If ISTVAN is elected as California’s next governor, the first few policy changes he will enact will work effectively to establish guardrails to avoid the detrimental effects of rapid AI development.
In his view, AI efficiency has a major impact on humanity by causing widespread unemployment, even among highly educated individuals.
“AI makes it, so very smart people with doctoral or master’s degrees can’t find another job. So, if our smartest people can’t find a job, then no doubt the middle and lower classes can’t find a job.
A key solution to address this issue, particularly in reducing extreme poverty, involves establishing a universal basic income as a financial safety net for everyone.
“I want to look at a universal basic income. If a company works with a robot from someone, the company has to find a way to support a person or support the government in a way that can help that person.
He also returned to the basic principles of transhumanism. Istvan argued that the same efficiency that threatens humanity can also be used to improve human life.
Do robots simplify everyday life?
Many of the boring jobs that humans face every day can undermine quality time that allows them to do something else.
Istvan believes that super intelligence can eliminate these chores. If he is elected governor, he will fulfill this promise.
“We have promised every California home to have a humanoid robot that can clean and cook, do chores, wash your kids, walk your dog, whatever it is, that will take your life 10 hours and give you it,” he said. You can go to my daughter’s soccer game. ”
Istvan applied his vision to use technology to improve human life in other fields, including the critical bureaucracy that is often seen at the management level.
In these circumstances, he insists that there is no need for a humanoid robot. Instead, existing technologies, especially blockchain, can reduce much of the backlog.
The digital future of public services
Since the dawn of the internet, many basic government services have become digital, but some rely on paper processes and human analysis. This can often generate fertile situations due to errors.
Istvan used the American voting system as an illustration.
“There’s this big problem here in the US. Trump says Biden stole the vote in the previous election, and this time Democrats say Trump stole the vote. Much of it is paper, so they rely on millions of people.
Blockchain technology can address this issue. A distributed ledger system can make the voting process fraud-free and simplify other frequently used services.
“If we can convert not only the voting system, but also the title, marriage certificate, passport, etc., it will literally make our world 30-50% more efficient.
Istvan’s perspective highlights an important paradox that is apparent today. On the one hand, he argues that technology is not fully utilized to streamline essential services and improve human life.
Meanwhile, he warns that certain sectors are accelerating technology development at exponential speeds, particularly with inadequate protection measures, which could lead to long-term harm.
The balance struck between these extremes is important for humanity’s future trajectory.
Disclaimer
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