DiscoverBig ThinkHow ancient philosophers would shape AI | Brendan McCord
How ancient philosophers would shape AI | Brendan McCord

How ancient philosophers would shape AI | Brendan McCord

Update: 2025-09-11
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**🌍 Humanity Stands at the Shore of a New Continent — AI. What Now?**


For 200,000 years, humans were the smartest beings on the planet.


But today, **AI is forcing us to question what it *really* means to live a human life**.


From **Copernicus** to **Darwin** to **Einstein**, science has repeatedly humbled us — displacing us from the center of the universe, showing us we are animals, and revealing that our intuition is flawed.


Now, in the **age of Turing**, it’s AI’s turn to push us toward philosophy again.


### 🤖 From Tool… to Architect?


For centuries, technology served *us*. It helped us *do* things — but it never told us *what to do*.


That’s changed.


Today, algorithms decide what you read, what you watch, and even how you think about right and wrong.


Tomorrow, **AI might diagnose disease, invent cures, and guide global decisions**.


But what if it doesn’t just assist us — what if it begins to **shape our very goals**?


### ⚖️ The Big Risks


1. **Convenience becomes dependency** — we outsource thinking, creativity, even values.


2. **Governance structures built to protect us** become the very systems that **control us**.


3. **Human freedom — our core superpower — slowly erodes**.


### 🧭 Three Steps Toward a Human-Centered Future


#### **Step 1: The North Star – Human Flourishing**


We must re-orient AI not around power or profit, but around helping each person **realize their potential**.


> Not to build gods. Not to build replacements.


> But to build *tools* for better lives.


#### **Step 2: The Compass – Principles for Progress**


A new AI philosophy must be built on three pillars:


- **Autonomy**: The freedom to think and act without manipulation.


- **Reason**: The ability to weigh ideas, debate, and discover truth.


- **Decentralization**: Power spread across many, not hoarded by a few.


These are the values that **preserve our humanity** in a world shaped by machines.


#### **Step 3: Navigate the New World – From Philosophy to Code**


Just like America’s founders built a **philosophy-to-law pipeline**, we need a **philosophy-to-code pipeline**.


Enter:


🧪 **The Human-Centered AI Lab at Oxford**


— the first lab dedicated to building open-source AI aligned with human flourishing.


### 🧠 The Future Needs a New Kind of Technologist


One who combines:


- **World-class AI skills**


- **And deep philosophical grounding**


These pioneers will prototype systems where **tech empowers humanity**, not erases it.


### 🚀 Final Thought


We are at a pivotal moment.


A once-in-a-civilization inflection point.


Like setting foot on a new world — with no map.


But with a **North Star to guide us**,


and a **Compass to keep us grounded**,


we can build a future where technology serves humanity — not the other way around.


> From Copernicus to Turing, it’s time to once again **find our place in the cosmos** —


> **not as obsolete beings**,


> but as stewards of the future.



Folllow this Podcast for daily Episodes


-------------------



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How ancient philosophers would shape AI | Brendan McCord

How ancient philosophers would shape AI | Brendan McCord

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