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The Most Important Century: Sequence Introduction - LessWrong

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[Moderators' note: with permission, I am crossposting Holden Karnofsky's Most Important Century series, originally published on his blog. In my (Ruby's) opinion, this may be the most compelling extant write-up that argues we are living in an exceptionally important time. Posts in the series will be published every 4th day until we are caught up, then will be posted here as they are published. Links in this roadmap will be updated as posts are published to LessWrong. Eager readers are encouraged to "read ahead" in the original.] -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This is a roadmap/"extended table of contents" for a series of posts arguing for a good chance that we're in the most important century of all time. I think we have good reason to believe that the 21st century could be the most important century ever for humanity. I think the most likely way this would happen would be via the development of advanced AI systems that lead to explosive growth and scientific advancement, getting us more quickly than most people imagine to a deeply unfamiliar future. A bit more specifically,1 I think there is a good chance that: 1. During the century we're in right now, we will develop technologies that cause us to transition to a state in which humans as we know them are no longer the main force in world events. This is our last chance to shape how that transition happens. 2. Whatever the main force in world events is (perhaps digital people, misaligned AI, or something else) will create highly stable civilizations that populate our entire galaxy for billions of years to come. The transition taking place this century could shape all of that. I think it's very unclear whether this would be a good or bad thing. What matters is that it could go a lot of different ways, and we have a chance to affect that. I believe the above possibility doesn't get enough attention, discussion, or investment, particula

x The Most Important Century: Sequence Introduction — LessWrong The Most Important Century AI World Optimization Frontpage 70 The Most Important Century: Sequence Introduction by HoldenKarnofsky 3rd Sep 2021 5 min read 5 70 [ Moderators' note: with permission, I am crossposting Holden Karnofsky's Most Important Century series, originally published on his blog . In my (Ruby's) opinion, this may be the most compelling extant write-up that argues we are living in an exceptionally important time. Posts in the series will be published every 4th day until we are caught up, then will be posted here a

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