Progress: A Post-AI Manifesto

TL;DR

This paper articulates a principled framework for progress in the post-AI era, addressing the problem of how to define and achieve durable, replicable advancement amid rapid AI development. It advances an approach centered on non-linear yet cumulative progress, purpose-driven understanding, system-level experimentation, and broad, multi-stakeholder collaboration, while balancing AI acceleration with human-centric values. Key contributions include a formal definition of progress, governance principles, and a realistic assessment of AI limitations and necessary mitigations, all framed within an interdisciplinary, holistic paradigm. The significance lies in guiding policy, industry, and research toward durable, equitable progress that combines AI capabilities with human creativity and abductive reasoning, ensuring technology serves humanity rather than a privileged subset.

Abstract

This manifesto outlines key principles for progress in the post-AI era, emphasizing non-linear yet cumulative advancement, deep understanding of purpose and context, multi-stakeholder collaboration, and system-level experimentation. It redefines progress as substantial, durable, and replicable advancement, highlighting the importance of balancing technological innovation with human-centric values. It acknowledges AI's potential to accelerate progress across industries while recognizing its limitations, such as creating illusions of understanding and potentially narrowing problem-solving approaches. It concludes that true progress in the AI age requires a symbiosis of artificial intelligence capabilities and human ingenuity, calling for a holistic, interdisciplinary approach to shape a future that serves all of humanity.