“Effective accelerationism” is considered a new trend in the California tech scene. That seems to be convincing investors like Y Combinator CEO Gary Tan.
Marc Andreessen spoke out in favor of “effective accelerationism” on X (formerly Twitter). Justin Sullivan/Getty Images
There’s a relatively unknown theory circulating in Silicon Valley that’s becoming increasingly popular among the big minds in the tech industry. It is called “effective accelerationism” (short: “e/acc”).
On But what is this effective accelerationism and why are top investors talking about it?
E/acc, in brief
The name is based on “effective altruism”. This is a movement that promotes charitable causes based on facts. This was made known by, among others, Sam Bankman-Fried, the founder of the crypto exchange FTX.
FTX-Gründer Sam Bankman-Fried
Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
The basic idea of effective accelerationism goes back to Nick Land, a British philosopher who taught at the University of Warwick. He is considered the founder of the general accelerationism movement.
Read too
There is a risk of up to 115 years in prison – FTX founder pleads “not guilty”
Since 2022, the idea of effective accelerationism has been popular on Twitter and in Substack newsletters More and more popular. The basis of the philosophy is that in a technological age we should take full advantage of innovation and capitalism to bring about profound social change. Even if that means completely changing the current social order.
In one Substack item, written by users such as @zestular, @creatine_cycle, @BasedBeffJezos and @bayeslord, states that technological developments and market events are considered “technocapital”. This is developing so quickly that it cannot be stopped.
They believe that “technocapital” could produce a new level of consciousness and previously unimaginable forms of life. In the world of effective accelerationism, no idea, no matter how absurd or dangerous, should be ignored if it could benefit humanity.
That could mean supporting extremely futuristic projects like Dyson spheres. This is a hypothetical construct designed to make optimal use of the energy of a star or black hole. It is named after the physicist Freeman Dyson. But it can also mean more specific goals, such as artificial general intelligence (breaking latest news). In theory, this is AI that can perform tasks at a higher level than a human.
Why is this suddenly an issue now?
Since OpenAI launched Chat GPT in November 2022, many in the tech world have been excited about the potential of AI. Some see the introduction of Chat GPT as a turning point, comparable to the launch of the iPhone or the Internet.
They now see the opportunity to develop breaking latest news, a superintelligence on par with the human brain. This is seen by some as the big goal of AI researchers.
Supporters of effective accelerationism believe that enormous advances in innovation, productivity and prosperity are possible with breaking latest news. Despite concerns about the risks of AI, they see the development of breaking latest news as a kind of moral obligation.
Andreessen describes himself as an “effective accelerationist” in his Twitter bio. Screenshot/Insider
Y Combinator CEO Tan says e/acc doesn’t mean replacing humans with robots, but that more technology also means more wealth and more AI.
The ideology is even discussed in the context of urban renewal. One Twitter user said the “e/accist thing” you could do is “fix” San Francisco to usher in a new era of ideas.
It’s unclear how much attention the idea will get. But as long as AI remains a central topic, effective accelerationism will continue to be discussed.
This text was translated from English. You can find the original here.