Reflections after watching Fareed Zakaria GPS
The Fear That Won’t Go Away
This morning, as I watched Fareed Zakaria on CNN, the question hung in the air like a storm cloud:
Will artificial intelligence destroy humanity?
It is a powerful question, but also a revealing one.
Because it tells us more about us than about AI.
We Have Always Feared the Future
At my stage in life, having seen decades of change, rom the early days of modern medicine to today’s digital revolution, I have learned one thing:
Every generation believes it is living at the edge of collapse.
We feared nuclear war. We feared pandemics. We feared the unknown consequences of science itself. And now, we fear AI.
But history has a quiet lesson: Humanity does not end easily. It adapts.
My Years at the FDA: A Familiar Pattern
During my years at the FDA, I witnessed firsthand the delicate balance between innovation and risk.
Every new drug carried uncertainty:
- Could it heal?
- Could it harm?
- Were we moving too fast or too slow?
But we never asked, “Will this destroy humanity?”
Instead, we asked: “How do we make this safe for humanity?”
That, to me, is the more honest question about AI.
AI Is Not the Villain
There is a tendency, fueled by movies and headlines to imagine AI as something that will one day “turn” on us. I don’t see it that way. AI has no ambition. No morality. No intent.
It reflects the values of those who build it and those who use it.
If there is danger, it is not artificial intelligence.
It is very real human intelligence, misused, unchecked, and sometimes blinded by power.
The Slow Drift We Should Worry About
If there is an “apocalypse,” it will not look like machines taking over the world.
It will be quieter than that:
- Truth slowly shaped by algorithms
- Human judgment replaced by automated decisions
- Convenience becoming more important than wisdom
Not a sudden collapse, but a gradual surrender. And that, to me, is far more dangerous.
A Grandfather’s Perspective
When I think about the future, I no longer think only in terms of policy or science.
I think about my granddaughter. What kind of world will she inherit?
Will she grow up in a society where technology empowers her or one where it quietly controls her?
Will she learn to think critically or simply accept what machines tell her?
These are not technological questions. They are human ones.
The Real Question
So let me reframe the question I heard this morning: Not “Will AI destroy humanity?”
But: “Will we use AI wisely enough to preserve what makes us human?”
Closing Reflection
I have lived long enough to see fear come and go in many forms. AI is simply the latest chapter. It is not the end of humanity. It is a test of humanity.
And like every test before it, the outcome will not be decided by machines…but by us.
- Ongoing Transformation: Rather than a single future event, many view the apocalypse as a current, unfolding process (e.g., ecological collapse, structural inequality).
- Cultural Fascination: The prevalence of end-times scenarios in media and popular culture acts as a way to process anxiety and explore "what if" scenarios in a safe, imaginative space.
- Desire for Change: The appeal often lies in the promise of a "breaking" of current systems, allowing for new beginnings, which attracts both radical thinkers and those seeking spiritual or systemic change.
- Psychological Coping Mechanism: It functions as a form of "thought experiment" that allows societies to confront potential catastrophes and, ideally, prepare for them, according to viewpoints in the New Scientist.
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