Freezing in the Face of AI

Summary

The essay reflects on how the author’s view of artificial intelligence changed between 2022 and 2023. At first, the author treated AI as a better, more personalized search engine that could help locate bugs without reliably solving problems. By 2023, AI had begun solving problems and producing better answers than expected, revealing a more radical technology. The author compares the resulting reaction to a human response to danger and says they froze rather than fighting or fleeing. They stopped improving their skills, making long-term plans, and feeling optimistic, narrowing their concerns to their body and immediate family. The author now regrets that response, arguing that remaining still is unhelpful during a period of major change. Instead, they intend to continue studying, improve their skills, make long-term plans, use AI at work, and increase their pace in other areas of life. The essay ends with a decision to stop fearing AI and continue moving forward regardless of whether it produces an age of abundance.