Executive summary: This exploratory post argues that humanity, as a “constitutional creature” constantly renegotiating how to live well together, now faces a pivotal “constitutional moment” due to AI’s transformative power—requiring urgent but careful reformation of societal norms to avoid catastrophe, preserve distributed power, and eventually construct a flourishing and adaptable future that allows for ongoing deliberation and persistent well-being.
Key points:
Three-stage vision for the future:The path to a flourishing future involves (1) navigating the urgent constitutional moment posed by AI, (2) constructing normative structures that balance freedom with constraints to avoid atrocity and enable flourishing, and (3) realizing a dynamic, ongoing form of utopia.
AI as a constitutional moment: The rise of transformative AI demands rapid normative renegotiation because failing to adapt would itself constitute a radical change. This moment requires caution to avoid locking in harmful structures or experiencing catastrophic failure.
Three challenges of the constitutional moment:
The pace of AI progress makes thoughtful deliberation difficult.
AI presents potential existential risks, including takeover or enabling catastrophic technologies.
AI could undermine distributed power, centralizing control and weakening democratic deliberation.
Post-crisis construction phase: If we successfully navigate the constitutional moment, we must then deliberately construct societal norms that preserve both human autonomy and collective flourishing, akin to Will MacAskill’s concept of “viatopia”—a stable state that makes dystopia unlikely and positive futures more reachable.
Utopia as process, not end-state: Rather than a fixed ideal, utopia is a self-sustaining process of bounded renegotiation—supporting persistent flourishing without collapsing into rigidity or chaos. Our current role is to pass the baton wisely, improving both the world and the tools for future deliberation.
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Executive summary: This exploratory post argues that humanity, as a “constitutional creature” constantly renegotiating how to live well together, now faces a pivotal “constitutional moment” due to AI’s transformative power—requiring urgent but careful reformation of societal norms to avoid catastrophe, preserve distributed power, and eventually construct a flourishing and adaptable future that allows for ongoing deliberation and persistent well-being.
Key points:
Three-stage vision for the future:The path to a flourishing future involves (1) navigating the urgent constitutional moment posed by AI, (2) constructing normative structures that balance freedom with constraints to avoid atrocity and enable flourishing, and (3) realizing a dynamic, ongoing form of utopia.
AI as a constitutional moment: The rise of transformative AI demands rapid normative renegotiation because failing to adapt would itself constitute a radical change. This moment requires caution to avoid locking in harmful structures or experiencing catastrophic failure.
Three challenges of the constitutional moment:
The pace of AI progress makes thoughtful deliberation difficult.
AI presents potential existential risks, including takeover or enabling catastrophic technologies.
AI could undermine distributed power, centralizing control and weakening democratic deliberation.
Post-crisis construction phase: If we successfully navigate the constitutional moment, we must then deliberately construct societal norms that preserve both human autonomy and collective flourishing, akin to Will MacAskill’s concept of “viatopia”—a stable state that makes dystopia unlikely and positive futures more reachable.
Utopia as process, not end-state: Rather than a fixed ideal, utopia is a self-sustaining process of bounded renegotiation—supporting persistent flourishing without collapsing into rigidity or chaos. Our current role is to pass the baton wisely, improving both the world and the tools for future deliberation.
This comment was auto-generated by the EA Forum Team. Feel free to point out issues with this summary by replying to the comment, and contact us if you have feedback.