“You are the most cynical person I’ve met”
 
This was a statement said to me in 1997.
 
 But I don’t see myself as a cynic, rather as a realist.
 
I think most cynics believe the world is full of stupid people who do stupid things. That is probably true, but they miss the nuance that the world is also full of intelligent, creative people who create amazing things. And in the end, these are often the same people.
 
Young people make statements like, “I could never bring a child into this world.” And when we see sick individuals walk into schools, businesses, or entertainment venues and shoot everyone in their path, I agree the world has gone crazy. 

But as sad as these tragedies are, they are not nearly as bad as some of the great tragedies of the past. Genocides, wars, disease, poverty, inequality with consequences to life and limb, even weather-related disasters. Some at the hands of other people, some completely out of our control. 

But with the collective knowledge, experience, communication and technology that we have created over the millennia, we have actually reduced the risk and increased the well-being of our species throughout time.
 
Today life is easier and opportunities more abundant, for more people around the world, than ever before. In the past 20 years, we've seen many countries raised up out of poverty and become powerhouses.
 
Is our journey complete? Of course not. 
 
It is in that vision for an ever-better world that we will continue to advance. But we have new challenges today and one of the biggest is depopulation. Everything we do has been built on the premise of an expanding world – more resources, more people to want those resources. One of the greatest disruptions is not the technology, but the lack of people to benefit from that technology. 
 
I believe this is the most important goal of AI - technology to allow the world to continue to advance even as the population decreases. Tyrants will try to hold onto what they have, but the individuals we need in every generation, who can guide us through the challenges always show up. This time is no different. I am hopeful and excited about the future. 
 
Will we use AI technology inappropriately first? Probably.  
 
Technology is power and power is in the hands of those who have control and want things to stay the way they are. So, there will be much short-term pain, destruction, inequalities, and struggle as we learn how to live in a world that grows in quality rather than quantity. 
 
Nothing happens in a day, it’ll be a full generation before we find a new equilibrium. Many will suffer, some will die, but a new world will be created and humanity will be operating at a higher level again.
 
I know I need to prepare for the interim with knowledge and action, so that I may survive to experience the future that is being created today. 
 
So, I’m not a cynic, I’m a realist. 
 
How about you? Are you an optimist, a pessimist, a cynic or a realist?  Let me know in the thread below.