Human Great Future (HGF) is building tools and communities to avert the AI disaster.
About you, The expected audience
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About me, The author of this post
I got my PhD in Physics in 2016, and most of the time since I have been Principal Scientist in a high-tech startup in California. My expertise is in research at the frontier of computation. I also have broad interests in society, art, and technology, and I feel a strong responsibility to future generations. I have long been working on some project ideas for good tech in society and I started HGF about a year ago.
The “expected” path for me
It would be “expected” of me to continue my career by developing or deploying AI. My career has positioned me well for that, and I would get a paycheck (at least until more advanced machines obsolete the position).
Conversely, it felt unnatural for me to start HGF, a initiative to research control of AI deployment and to advocate for that control. The likely risk to reward ratio seemed high: A concrete risk was that my industry might misinterpret or disagree with my message, risking unemployment; The reward was improbable, since HGF started with just one person. I was counting on many other people feeling the same as I did.
Starting Human Great Future (HGF) was a little step to make an improvement. HGF is a group that builds tools and communities to coordinate, and work towards a society with more technological foresight. Just as I needed to change from my default career path to start HGF, HGF works to change society’s course. While individuals may be doing what’s expected of them, they can use HGF to escalate their values to make true effective impact.
Our work
We are developing small tech for good community. We have a couple projects fully in progress, and several more sketched on the roadmap. We are going to continue for as along as we are able.
1) Sharing knowledge that a great future is possible
Negativity and pessimism especially permeate online communities. Similarly, many futurists and AI developers are resigned to the prospect of a miserable future for humanity. HGF works to show that this is not necessary, and that wonderful futures are achievable in actual reality, with the right effort.
2) Visibility to those that have not given up on a great future
A great future is worth pursuing. Why is such sentiment hidden these days? Subscribe to this Substack for FREE, to increase our Subscriber Count. Or follow us on Instagram (@humangreatfuture). Or purchase a HGF TShirt to encourage us (all earnings go to a registered charity, as described on the page).
3) Substack posts about the global situation
This Substack will have succinct reviews and analysis of what we see as emerging reality. It will also distill important science into take-home messages. One post every month for now.
4) Small-tech projects
A few tech projects will be revealed in future posts. They start light-hearted and small. The first is an experiment about making more small real-life connections between people. We’ll describe how we secure funds for larger projects. Most projects are already sketched out and waiting.
5) Ultimately getting the message to world decision makers
Our global society needs more foresight and initiative. We need to develop plans that we can be very confident in, and to build trust in them. It is possible. And we will avoid destruction.
T-Shirt from Threadless!
If you would like to encourage us, grab a stylish, brand-new, first-edition HGF TShirt. 100% of earnings go to Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (bbbs.org) charity as described on the page. The purchase will indirectly show that the world has not given up on a human great future.
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