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WISDOM
first understand,
then do the right thing
Mike Pywell
humanityfirstai.org
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Tis review edition first published
in Great Britain in 2024 by Humanity First AI
Text © Mike Pywell, 2024
Artwork © Mike Pywell, Helen Lee
Cover design by Mike Pywell, Helen Lee
Interior layout and design by Mike Pywell, Laura Kincaid
Editing and Typesetting, Laura Kincaid
www.humanityfirstai.org
Te moral right of Mike Pywell to be identified as the
author of this work has been asserted in accordance with
the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be
reproduced in whole or in any part in any form without
the written permission of the publisher
Printed and bound in Great Britain
by Book Printing UK
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iii
Author’s note
When I started this, friends and family questioned my sanity.
Why did I think I could kick-start a movement to realign AI?
‘Experts know more than you, and governments do too. It’s their
job to stop the worst from happening; no one will listen to you.’
I understood but didn’t agree. I saw what was coming, and
it burned inside me. Billionaires and profiteers will rake in the
gold, but ultimately, everyone else will pay – and pay the highest
price. I had to do something.
Te scale scared me, but I’m stubborn. Fifteen months on, I’m
glad I am.
In the July 2024 UK election, they talked of pence-in-the-
pound tax cuts and supervised teeth cleaning for five-year-olds,
but humanity facing the most frightening challenge in history
didn’t get a mention and it’s the same in the US.715 Despite the
AI experts’ campaign for a pause, the industry, government and
the public ignored the pleas. Politicians don’t focus on the future;
their only focus is votes today.
But we face a crisis today.
Industry and governments will only sit up if society makes
enough noise, and currently, there’s barely a whimper; in fact,
we’re rolling over and giving them the keys. Tese pages spell out
the terrifying inside track. Read them; the penny will drop. It’s
time for us to make the biggest noise the world has ever heard.
When I started, I was worried people wouldn’t see the reckless
arrogance of today’s global giants or the true cost of AI’s quick fixes.
But all that’s needed now is to open our eyes. Today’s technology is
powerful enough to destroy livelihoods, hopes, dreams and more.
And what’s coming is even more frightening. ChatGPT-5 and
Google Gemini are on their way, and still not a squeak in protest.
AI moves at lightning speed. If this were climate change,
Wall Street would be underwater, Europe in flames and survival
would be on everyone’s lips.
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But it isn’t climate change.
Despite the genie being out of the box, there is a way back.
Power and greed don’t have to destroy everything; if managed
correctly, AI could be our saviour. Tat’s why we need to act
now.
What’s missing is common sense, and the good news is that
you’re holding it. Tis book explains and plots a path to a better
future – a win-win for all.
Entrepreneurs, corporations and investors can still profit, but
society will be stronger. Humanity will thank us for that. All we
need to do is find our voice.
Mike Pywell – 14 August 2024
Humanity First AI, this book and the campaign are not for
profit/non profit. If you'd like to help, join the movement or
discover more please register at humanityfirstai.org
NOTES ON PREVIEW COPY
Please forgive the odd typo, grammatical error or passage
that doesn't flow as well as it could. These will all be
addressed. The final version will also have more images,
info-graphics and charts, and TLDR summaries (too long
didn't read). Think tweets summaries for readers that scan.
To engage more readers and allow for sharing. it was a late
change to a set of three but unfortunately that threw out
the chapter links. These, image referencing and polishing
endnotes will all be completed prior to publication.
I would welcome feedback and thoughts on errors,
omissions or bias. Please use the form at humanityfirstai.org
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THIS BOOK AND THE CAMPAIGN ARE NOT FOR
PROFIT; PLEASE REGISTER:
HUMANITYFIRSTAI.ORG
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CONTENTS
BOOK THREE – ALL ABOUT AI
Part 8: How AI works
8.0
Te bones of AI – how it works
8.1
Te six stages of AI and why they are important
8.2
What GPT stands for and why it’s important
15
8.3
T for transformer – ‘attention is all you need’
19
8.4
Labelling – a critical part of the process
23
Part 9: How AI unpicks human potential
27
9.0
Step one – stop us from generating solutions
29
9.1
Step two – crush our potential
33
9.2
Step three – distract and erode our focus
34
9.3
Step four – give us the answers
36
9.4
Step five – stop us learning by doing
39
9.5
Step six – remove what’s in it for me
42
9.6
Step seven – undermine education, education, education
44
9.7
Step eight – destroy the arts
47
9.8
Step nine – destroy the human spirit
50
9.9
Step ten – keep the Trojan Horses coming
55
Part 10: Ignoring AI experts’ warnings
59
10.0 Alfred Nobel and all those who followed
61
10.1 Industry leaders call for a pause
65
10.2 It’s not just tech leaders who are worried
69
10.3 It’s reckless to dismiss the threat of what we don’t understand
73
10.4 Summary: AI’s perfect storm
75
Part 11: AI experts predict the path
81
11.0 Turing helped win freedom, but imitation is a deadly game 83
11.1 If a $25m AI con doesn’t concern you
87
11.2 Even the best case will keep you awake at night
89
11.3 Te madness of pursuing singularity
92
11.4 What keeps humans going through a tough time?
95
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