First Principles and the AI age: What Comes Next.
Years ago I sat down with Albert, Aniju, Clare and Confidence to have a chat— one that seemed like a final chat together in that particular environment —Albert and Aniju had just been Inducted and could leave town any time soon.
We spoke on random events and fields. One would think we were in parliament deciding the fate of our world, or maybe our careers.
Albert had a way of teasing Confidence and her music voice— I found her voice to be angelic, anyways. She was a star in the school music department and one could tell her future was bright, well beyond the walls of the university. After we were done laughing at his convivial banter we proceeded to have our meal. It was a student's environment, so nothing really special. Just overcooked rice and Fanta.
While we were taking our meals, Clare said something really important which I may never forget. She asked what would happen to humans if computers took all our jobs. I mean, she was right to ask about that.
We were in school to learn and get jobs when we were done. Although some of us use other reasons to feel more special than the rest. For instance, we could say, “we are studying to become enlightened”, others say “to fulfill god's plan and purpose for their lives.” The fundamental reason was to earn a living and lead a good life— not so sure what my reason was years ago, but a lot has changed since then.
When we had that discussion, AI wasn't a buzz word as it is today. It was mainly used in academia and occasionally in industry specific events. We called it computers. From Robots to other computer aided intelligence. We just felt something was coming that could change the world. I knew she directed the question at me. I wasn't studying computer science in school, but people could tell I was swimming in an array of interests. From history, politics, healthcare and even numbers. You can't blame me though, I found early passion in knowing a lot from reading my father's newspaper.
I understood her fears. We were church People and she looked at it from the perspective of each person having a purpose to fulfill on earth. I wasn't buying into that perspective completely though —not that day and definitely not today. Since this isn't an essay dedicated to Christian purposes, I'll desist from writing on that.
Back to my story. Years later and I feel it is now necessary to share my thoughts publicly, as we are now in the AI age— Clare was right. The computers are coming for humans— but not in the way that you think.
I have taken a deep study of time, history and most importantly, human psychology and behaviour. There are things that are fundamentally true across generations and millenniums. I will refer to them as first principles.
First principles are the simplest basic truth upon which other truths depend. For instance, Gravity holds true on the Earth and 1+1 is 2. No matter where you go on earth, these principles hold.
View first principles as foundational truth or like molecules of the cell of the human body. If you understand first principles, it becomes easier to understand complex systems or structures.
In the AI age, there would be shifts in how people do things and probably how economies work. But we need to understand how to use first principles as an advantage.
Humans are regularly faced with problems (fundamental principle) and understanding how it works will help you solve them with artificial intelligence.
Take these instances, before the invention of the plane by the Wright brothers, there was no need for pilots and air warfare. Before Gasoline engine was invented, crude was not in high demand. New inventions or problems bring new opportunities.
Going back to first principles, humans are innately creative and desire to find a sense of fulfillment in work. Given any circumstances, people will work. Our ancestors worked as hunters and gatherers. We now work in industries, healthcare or services.
Another principle I consider important is that humans are multifaceted, talented and can always find leverage using technology. For instance, music is primarily expressed through voice, but over Millennials people have found ways to improve on music using musical instruments.
Also, exchange is the single most important factor in any economy. If people stop exchanging goods and services, the economy will come to a halt and eventually die. This is a fundamental truth.
What comes next?
As AI takes over modern workplace and industries, from healthcare to finance and even software, what humans have as a fundamental is their creativity and the ability to think in abstracts.
I have used AI models, built dashboards, written proposals, drafted NDAs and even asked questions about medical diagnosis. In all of these the real moat is creativity and personal judgement.
To stay ahead in the current time and space, build your creativity and critical thinking skills. It is your most important possession.