When I thought about all the things that I, as a mother, should warn my children against, protect them from, perhaps even apologize for, Artificial Intelligence was not among them.
I am a Generation Jones mother with two millennial children in their 30s, and the end of the world is nigh. I am really, really, very sorry but I have become OK with my children remaining childless. Having another generation to worry about seems overwhelming.
I’m a parent who worries
Fifteen years ago, at dinner at my house, some friends and I began to talk about the singularity — a hypothetical scenario in which AI surpasses human capabilities. This was the first time I had thought about AI taking over the world and ridding us of, well, us. Other than science fiction, which I found scarily convincing but not really personally threatening, as I had always been more interested in the theoretical than its coming reality. But a friend who was a certified geek and programmer insisted that it was coming: fast and soon.
I really haven’t stopped thinking about it since.
I’m a worrier. Throughout my nearly 40 years of parenting, I’ve anticipated illness, injury, all manner of car accidents, bad partners, and even the proverbial acting out. And I feel like I have risen to meet the challenges, even as those morphed from the benign to the serious. I learned quickly that getting the kids grown up just meant a different set of concerns.
My kids and I talk about most everything; they’re delightful adults, smart, funny, keen to learn, politically involved. But my first instinct has always been to protect them. To monitor my own increasing existential dread, but also acknowledge the failure of generations to manifest the Utopia we were striving for.
I get it if my kids don’t want to have kids
For many years, I longed for grandchildren, until I didn’t. How could I foist imminent doom on yet another generation when I still feel responsible for the children I had?
I think having babies today is bravery I truly admire. It didn’t feel particularly brave when I had my own, but the world seemed smoother then. I recall my son telling me he wanted to get married and have children; he said that even though he and his sister are 5 ½ years apart, it would be cool if they had kids around the same time.
My daughter and I have discussed baby names for years; she and her partner have been together for five years. But nothing is moving in that direction, and I’m older, less well, and the thought of taking care of an infant seems near impossible. I love babies, I do. It is just getting harder and harder to retain my own optimism without having to fake it for a young child.
I think our doom will come with hubris and greed. The decimation of our natural resources, all used up to power machines. We are teetering on the edge, and it is likely the end of us. As my son so succinctly put it last time we spoke: “It’s hard to know enough to know how scared we should be.”
And I am well and truly sorry to be leaving that fear and its conundrum to the generations that follow mine.
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