Policy on the AI Exponential
The rapid advancement of AI capabilities is creating a significant mismatch with the slow pace of government policy and legislation. The author argues that AI's exponential growth could fundamentally reshape society before political institutions are equipped to regulate it.
Why it matters
The speed of technological innovation versus the speed of governance is a critical challenge for modern democracy and global stability.
In one of the side plots to The Lord of the Rings , two of the Hobbits attempt to rouse Treebeard—a wise but ponderous sentient tree—to defend his forest from an army that is cutting it down. The problem is that Treebeard operates at a very different speed than the Hobbits. It takes him a full day simply to say hello to another tree, so getting him and his peers to act fast enough is nearly impossible.
The article advocates for proactive government intervention and regulation, which is a common theme in tech-policy discourse.
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