There’s a long history of new developments in culture or technology leading to moral panics of various kinds. Growing up I can remember the moral panics around video games and Dungeons & Dragons. There were also moral panics about kidnapped children (the milk carton kids) and Satanic day care facilities as well as rock music and later rap music.
Some people say that the current concern over the impact of social media on teens is just one more example of this pattern. There are a lot more examples and a lot more (positive and negative) to say about the idea of moral panic, but suffice it to say that there is now a general sense that any impulse we feel to criticize the latest tech fad needs to be considered carefully in light of this history of moral panic.
I bring all of that up because I’m starting to feel some concern about the world that AI is ushering in right now. I don’t…
