Safeguarding The Future

TTh 1:00-2:30 E15-341

Co-instructors:

Kevin Esvelt, Sculpting Evolution Group, Media Lab

Michael Specter, Staff Writer, The New Yorker

Humanity may have no future - unless we learn to protect it.

As a species, and as a planet, we are at a critical inflection point. Our future could include far more beings that have ever lived on Earth. Or it could include none. Those beings could flourish in ways that today, we can’t even comprehend. Or they could be condemned to live in dystopian hellholes.

The future of Earthly life may be largely determined by the technologies we choose to develop in this century, and by our wisdom in deciding when and whether to use them.

Which tools must be developed and disseminated in the right way, to ensure that they solve the problems of civilization rather than make them worse? Which are most likely to help us, and those that come after us, shape a flourishing future for humanity? Which could destroy it? How can we communicate what we learn to best improve the odds?

We’ll address these issues by asking: which inventions proved to be essential in the past; how did pioneers and communicators influence the adoption of new technologies; which are most likely to threaten or transform the future. Discussions of both the most transformative and dire technologies will be led by guest speakers who are leaders in the respective fields. Our goal will be to identify key decision points, develop strategies to influence outcomes, and communicate our findings to improve the odds.

To that end, students will submit a paragraph on meaningful questions or key high-level insights on the assigned readings prior to each class. Students are encouraged - though not required - to expand these into a 1-2 page summary or opinion piece following each discussion. One such writeup must be submitted for feedback approximately every three weeks (3 in total). Ideally, these will be made published or otherwise made publicly available.

As a final project, students will work collaboratively in small groups to conduct research on a potentially highly impactful topic, then jointly convey their findings in an especially compelling manner to the world at large. This could be an in-depth analytical report, a concrete prototype, an explanatory video, or a ballot initiative. We won’t reject any approach, but we are looking for creativity and invention - not a recitation of what we've discussed.

Given the broad goals of the class across topics spanning many disciplines, there are no prerequisites; undergraduates and graduate students are welcome. Enrollment is limited. Due to an MIT catalog error, the course is approved as S67. Please fill out this form to express interest.

Logistics

All meetings will be held in E15-341, broadcasted by Zoom, and recorded. We ask that anyone tuning in virtually defer to students taking the course.

First week logistics:

On February 1 and February 3, we will have people waiting at the entrance on the corner of Amherst St and Ames St to let those without MIT access into the building and escort them to E15-341. Harvard students interested in registering can follow these guidelines.

Syllabus

To gain a deep appreciation of the greatest threats we face
To improve our ability to safeguard and improve our future
To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield

Expectations

Grading Scheme