Deep Utopia: Life and Meaning in a Solved World
Nick Bostrom
Ideapress (March 2024)

“Be careful what you wish for.”  Aesop

In my review of one of Nick Bostrom’s previously published books, Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies (2014), I noted that John H. Flavell was probably the first to use the term metacognition when suggesting that it “refers to one’s knowledge concerning one’s own cognitive processes or anything related to them, e.g., the learning-relevant properties of information or data. For example, I am engaging in metacognition if I notice that I am having more trouble learning A than B; if it strikes me that I should double check C before accepting it as fact.” That was in 1976.

As I began to read Superintelligence, I was again reminded of Flavell’s research. What does the term “superintelligence” mean? According to Bostrom, “We can tentatively define a superintelligence as any intellect that greatly exceeds the cognitive performance of humans in virtually all domains of interest.”

He focuses on three different forms of superintelligence and asserts that they are essentially equivalent: Speed superintelligence, a system that can do all that a human intellect can do, but much faster; Collective superintelligence, a system composed of a large number of smaller intellects such that the system’s overall performance across many very general domains vastly outstrips that of any current cognitive system; and Quality superintelligence, a system that is at least as fast as a human mind and vastly qualitatively smarter.

Bostrom’s focus in Deep Utopia is on the perils as well as the potentialities of what characterize as “Artificial Superintelligence.” That is, life and meaning — for better or worse — in a world transformed by very advanced AI systems (VAAIS) . Questions arise: What if those systems create new problems? If so, what will be their nature and extent? In a world in which all problems are solved by VAAIS, what will give purpose and value to human life? How can — and should —  people spend their time and energy?

These are among the passages of greatest interest and value to me, also listed to suggest the nature and extent of Bostrom’s coverage in Deep Utopia:

o Economic growth (Pages 6-8, 17-28, 3w6-37, and 74-75)
o Unemployment (8-20,
o Inequalitgy (13-16,23-25, 53-54, and 70-75)
o Jobs (16-23, 83-94, and 111-112)
o Axiologica contours (69-81)

o Limita to automation (83-94)
o Moral status (86-88, 161-167, and 183-187)
o Human nature (125-130, 150-151, and 150-151)
o Purpose problem (129-131,
o Brain editing (136-141 269-285, and 165-166)

o Aesthetic experience (154-155and 221-229)
o Personal identity (165-166,269-285, and 352-@59)
o Fictional (171-187)
o Interestingness (205-269, 301-304, 308-309, 319-320, and 503-505)
o Evolution of motivation (230-236, 255-260, and 345-347)

o Big World hypothesis (245-251)
o Transhumanism (254-255)
o Religion and the meaning of life (306-307; 343-344, 364-365, and 446-448)
o Fulfillment/Joel Fineberg (311-319 and 316-319)
o Meaning of life (405-473)

According to Nick Bostrom, “Suppose that we develop superintelligence safely, govern it well, and make good use of the cornucopian wealth and near magical technological powers that this technology can unlock. If this transition to the machine intelligence era goes well, human labor becomes obsolete. We would thus enter a condition of “post-instrumentality”, in which our efforts are not needed for any practical purpose. Furthermore, at technological maturity, human nature becomes entirely malleable.

Here we confront a challenge that is not technological but philosophical and spiritual. In such a solved world, what is the point of human existence? What gives meaning to life? What do we do all day?

Deep Utopia shines new light on these old questions, and gives us glimpses of a different kind of existence, which might be ours in the future.”

Almost every day, I ask myself this question: “If I were to get everything I wish for in terms of my personal growth and professional development, how would that change what I do each day as well as where and how I do it?”

Hmmm….

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Here are two suggestions while you are reading Deep Utopia: First, highlight key passages Also,  perhaps in a lined notebook kept near at hand, record your comments, questions, action steps (preferably with deadlines), page references, and lessons you have learned as well as your responses to key points posed within the narrative. Also record your responses to specific or major issues or questions addressed, especially in the 22 “Handouts” at the conclusion of the six daily components or portions thereof, such as the passages listed previously.

These two simple tactics — highlighting and documenting — will facilitate, indeed expedite frequent reviews of key material later.