Technology critic Evgeny Morozov, writing in Boston Review, argues for a fundamental reimagining of artificial intelligence that prioritizes human creativity and democratic values over pure efficiency. The article explores how AI development has been historically shaped by Cold War imperatives and corporate interests, resulting in systems that primarily serve bureaucratic and market-driven goals rather than broader social needs.
Morozov suggests that future AI development should embrace what he terms “ecological reason” – a more open-ended, exploratory approach to intelligence inspired by Hans Otto Storm’s concept of “eolithism.” This alternative vision would focus on enhancing human intelligence and creativity rather than simply automating tasks. The author points to historical examples from Latin America, including Chile’s Project Cybersyn, as potential models for more democratically oriented technological development.