An era of human-driven change is over.
The generation born between 1990 and 2000 was the final generation of the Anthropocene, the period during which humans drove the change of our environment and planet.
It was a time of significant progress for humanity; standards of living and life expectancy rose to the detriment of all other living things on the planet.
Over the last 15–20 years, we’ve gradually seen the transition towards the Silicocene.
The Silicocene is the present period of our planet’s history.
Silicon microchips, computers, smartphones and artificial intelligence algorithms drive the greatest change in the present day.
It’s a period marked by human beings directing the majority of their focus, attention and decision-making towards these devices and software programs that can analyse massive quantities of data almost instantaneously.
Our goal as a species is to develop the epitome of the Silicocene, Artificial General Intelligence (AGI).
This goal will drive every single socioeconomic decision- you can see it in the markets of the West, where the largest technology companies have valuations in the trillions, while inequality has never been worse.
I am hopeful for the Silicocene, as it has the potential to be more fruitful, abundant, and kind compared to previous periods of history. However, it requires humanity to solve a number of pressing issues, such as climate change, conflict and AI alignment.
In the meantime, Silicocene will be filled with rapid change and transformation in the way human beings interact with their reality.
A16Z, one of the world’s most prestigious VC firms, has an article outlining why software is eating the world. It’s an in-depth read about how human society relies upon software for everything from navigation and eating to building romantic relationships.
The scariest element of the Silicocene is our innate ignorance towards our behaviour and thinking driven by technology. Similar to the role of nation-states, religions and ideologies of the past, the Silicocene is driven by the narrative that highly advanced and transformative technology will drive change for humanity.
The issue is that more than 95% of humanity—and I mean more than 95%—is being used by technology instead of using it. Most people don’t have the agency to understand how algorithms influence their decision-making and habit formation.
Even governments that must regulate and integrate this technology trust the goodwill and altruism of financially incentivised corporations and individuals to provide an honest account of the impacts of the Silicocene.
We all need to engage in this transition.
The move towards the Silicocene happens every day. There’s still an opportunity for people to engage in this transition and create an impact. Our collective problem as a species is differentiating between actors of the Silicocene (tech evangelists, AI chatbots and other covert models) and humanity at large.
Some people believe that a subjugated population hooked to social media, VR/AR and a constant supply of short-form videos will lead to a more prosperous civilization. On the other hand, some want to make this transition as equitable and just as possible.
For there to be any meaningful change over the long term, humans of all backgrounds need to participate actively in the shaping, deployment and long-term diffusion of this technology.
We must care about the AI Alignment issue- it’s the most existential risk we currently face. If we were a superintelligent entity with a creator like the human species, what would we do to ensure we could continue to proliferate and manage control?
The answers are difficult to predict, but our best shot is learning and engaging in the Silicocene as much as possible.
We live in a time of the utmost abundance- the only separator between those who can leverage that abundance and those who cannot is the desire to learn and build.
It’s why the Silicocene doesn’t mean that humans become incompetent and useless. It just means that the greatest driver of change will no longer be our species- it will be microchips and software code that runs in data centres across the planet.
The future could be beautiful.
I fell in love with Solarpunk as an antidote to dystopian thinking during the Silicocene.
Solarpunk is a literary and artistic movement that envisions and works toward actualizing a sustainable future interconnected with nature and community.[3][4][5] The “solar” represents solar energy as a renewable energy source and an optimistic vision of the future that rejects climate doomerism,[6] while the “punk” refers to the countercultural, post-capitalist, and decolonial enthusiasm for creating such a future.[7]
My ask is simple- let us create versions of the Silicocene that are not driven by hypercapitalist incentives or misguided individualism that damages our beautiful civilization.
We have an opportunity to direct the Silicocene through our human actions- it means protesting, creating, loving and contributing to the world at large.
The Silicocene will be defined by human actors who can build and nurture silicon-based systems that can protect all life on this planet. The heroes of the future are not soldiers or mavericks- they are humans who acknowledge that we should put our faith in love, kindness, compassion and altruism.
It might sound idealistic, but whether we like it or not, the Silicocene is here to stay- all we can do is direct it gently towards a future where we don’t live in fear or regret of our past decisions.
The Anthropocene was marked by destruction for the improvement in the experiences of a single species. That species managed to create a world governed entirely by its kind. The Silicocene will see a world developed by our creation- it’s our job to ensure that these creations have learned from our past mistakes.
