I’m a sucker for short stories. Mostly because I have the attention span of a fly, but also because they get right to the point. Nnedi Okorafor’s short story Spider the Artist , a unique blend of science-fiction and environmental activism, puts forth several strong narratives, none of which go unnoticed. The one that I found most compelling involved the impact that advanced technology has on our society. Some people (like those who watch popular Netflix show Black Mirror) believe that advanced technology has no place alongside humans because it will almost certainly turn against us. Others, like famous futurist Ray Kurzweil, are more optimistic about the matter. I would put myself in a group with Mr. Kurzweil, and I would argue that Okorafor speaks of the Zombies — or mechanical spiders — not to warn humans against technology itself, but to warn humans against technology falling into the wrong hands.
The majority of AI applications, surprisingly, don’t involve giant mechanical spiders that kill humans trying to destroy oil pipelines. Most try to solve problems by improving humans’ lives, rather than trying to end them. However, videos like this one (please watch, it’s very powerful) and stories like Okorafor’s make us weary about the future of technology. I argue that those stories are not intended to teach us about the dangers of AI, but rather about the dangers of how humans can use it. AI can be trained, just like humans, to do the right thing. It can be made to serve the greater good. However, the people who designed the mechanical spiders (Zombies) designed them with hate in their hearts. They designed them specifically to target and kill humans who try to mess with their profits. Okorafor argues that when powerful technology falls into the wrong, evil hands, bad things happen.
Furthermore, I drew a parallel directly from the spiders to climate deniers. Instead of solving the root problem (oil dependency), they try to mitigate the symptoms (people trying to take the oil). This costs lives, money, resources, and above all: our planet. Instead, the people could have chosen to flip the switch and use the technology for good. As preposterous as they may sound, here are some of my propositions:
- Ride the mechanical spiders to work! No more cars.
- Use the mechanical spiders to run errands – less need for transportation.
- Allow them to teach the students! More personalized education, students stay at home for school
All of these suggestions, admittedly silly, are nonetheless examples of how not to abuse powerful technology. Powerful, corrupt people, when given access to this technology, will always use it to drive up their profits. We must take it upon ourselves to develop new forms of AI and use them to improve the state of our planet — this would make Okorafor very proud.