Diamantino, interesting piece, and a lot of what you bring up, the shadow side, not of AI but of the people in control of it, people are not talking much about. I appreciate how you discussed ethics and reminded everyone that this is the human aspect of AI, and we must take full responsibility for it. Times are definitely changing. I hope we can figure out the big parts here, and you've pointed out several things that will help with that. When I entered the professional workforce in 1991, I had witnessed what globalization had done to the Midwest town where I grew up. Factories employing 6,000 people had gone, moved to lower-cost countries. I know this isn't the same as what AI will do, as I believe it will hit at a deeper, more fundamental level, but I lived with that impact. I am hopeful that my children's generation can figure this out. AI seems to be the new Pandora's box. Thank you for bringing this up.
I completely agree the human choices behind AI shape its impact far more than the technology itself.
The good news is that we can help them. By teaching critical thinking, ethical reflection, and collaborative leadership today, we give younger generations the tools to navigate these changes responsibly. And we can flag when false promises are out there.
We can show them that technology is a tool, not a master, and that accountability, empathy, and shared responsibility must stay at the core of how we build and use AI, for example.
It feels like ‘progress’ often leaves so many people behind, and we should be better than that instead of accepting it as normal.
A very powerful article, Diamantino. This is an intergenerational challenge and a good deal of the circumstance we currently find ourselves dealing with has been (and continues to be) influenced by economics (as you also point to) and Policy that legalized monopolistic behaviour; theft of personal info; control of the marketplace through rental structures - like EV software that requires paid subscriptions to maintain the software that governs the vehicle you paid big $$ for; a lack of 'right-to-repair'; etc. Technology is useful - it's the lack of governance around it's invention and use that creates an extreme imbalance. The power remains with 'the people' however that's also where greed originated. The question remains ... who will prevail ... the many or the few? Enlightenment - or destruction? Certainly, the environment will prevail in whatever configuration it adjusts to. Will that include humans? History is a great teacher...
Keep your thoughts flowing. It's always useful to hear from someone within the techno machine.
Thank you, Kathleen, I really appreciate your perspective.
You’ve captured so much of the tension I see between technology’s potential and the structures that shape its use. And the right to repair, I follow Louis Rossmann and for me being in tech not having the right to choose where I repair, or getting something similar to solve a thing, is in my view so wrong. It’s true the imbalance isn’t in the tools themselves, but in how policy, economics, and power interact with them. We need better laws.
The “people vs few” question is the one that keeps me awake most nights. I do believe we have agency, but it requires conscious action, collective awareness, and systems that reward shared benefit rather than individual extraction.
I have my fears, and seeing the evolution of big tech from the ’90s to now, it’s quite scary how much power, and some arrogance they’ve amassed. I still remember the COVID era, when governments rushed to big tech for advice. I keep seeing these closed-door meetings, and it feels like we the people should have a say in all of this.
Diamantino, interesting piece, and a lot of what you bring up, the shadow side, not of AI but of the people in control of it, people are not talking much about. I appreciate how you discussed ethics and reminded everyone that this is the human aspect of AI, and we must take full responsibility for it. Times are definitely changing. I hope we can figure out the big parts here, and you've pointed out several things that will help with that. When I entered the professional workforce in 1991, I had witnessed what globalization had done to the Midwest town where I grew up. Factories employing 6,000 people had gone, moved to lower-cost countries. I know this isn't the same as what AI will do, as I believe it will hit at a deeper, more fundamental level, but I lived with that impact. I am hopeful that my children's generation can figure this out. AI seems to be the new Pandora's box. Thank you for bringing this up.
Thank you for sharing your perspective.
I completely agree the human choices behind AI shape its impact far more than the technology itself.
The good news is that we can help them. By teaching critical thinking, ethical reflection, and collaborative leadership today, we give younger generations the tools to navigate these changes responsibly. And we can flag when false promises are out there.
We can show them that technology is a tool, not a master, and that accountability, empathy, and shared responsibility must stay at the core of how we build and use AI, for example.
It feels like ‘progress’ often leaves so many people behind, and we should be better than that instead of accepting it as normal.
A very powerful article, Diamantino. This is an intergenerational challenge and a good deal of the circumstance we currently find ourselves dealing with has been (and continues to be) influenced by economics (as you also point to) and Policy that legalized monopolistic behaviour; theft of personal info; control of the marketplace through rental structures - like EV software that requires paid subscriptions to maintain the software that governs the vehicle you paid big $$ for; a lack of 'right-to-repair'; etc. Technology is useful - it's the lack of governance around it's invention and use that creates an extreme imbalance. The power remains with 'the people' however that's also where greed originated. The question remains ... who will prevail ... the many or the few? Enlightenment - or destruction? Certainly, the environment will prevail in whatever configuration it adjusts to. Will that include humans? History is a great teacher...
Keep your thoughts flowing. It's always useful to hear from someone within the techno machine.
Thank you, Kathleen, I really appreciate your perspective.
You’ve captured so much of the tension I see between technology’s potential and the structures that shape its use. And the right to repair, I follow Louis Rossmann and for me being in tech not having the right to choose where I repair, or getting something similar to solve a thing, is in my view so wrong. It’s true the imbalance isn’t in the tools themselves, but in how policy, economics, and power interact with them. We need better laws.
The “people vs few” question is the one that keeps me awake most nights. I do believe we have agency, but it requires conscious action, collective awareness, and systems that reward shared benefit rather than individual extraction.
I have my fears, and seeing the evolution of big tech from the ’90s to now, it’s quite scary how much power, and some arrogance they’ve amassed. I still remember the COVID era, when governments rushed to big tech for advice. I keep seeing these closed-door meetings, and it feels like we the people should have a say in all of this.