Just Because We Can Do Something Doesn’t Mean We Should

Lessons from the 1848 Revolutions for Today’s AI-Driven World

This week’s Wealth Matters Weekend post was inspired by a session I had sitting in on a history class lesson taught at our son’s classical school this past Wednesday on a day they call “17 Again” which invites parents to come join the High School classes as if they were a peer with the students. The teacher-student discourse on this subject matter was insightfully brilliant and got me thinking about how to apply these lessons to our perspective today as we seek to maintain our own mental health and productive perspectives on the events of today.

As we stand at the precipice of yet another unprecedented technological revolution in humanity’s history, one driven this time by the convergence of AI, blockchain, quantum computing, and other exponential technologies, it is worth remembering the past.

Technological change is not new; revolutions of all kinds have come and gone, each leaving lasting impacts on societies, economies, and individuals. Each time we have experienced these major shifts in both complexity and efficiency humanity has had to go through a major adjustment period. The revolutions of 1848, often called the “Springtime of Nations,” provide critical insights that today's leaders and citizens should heed as we navigate the disruptive transformations now occurring in the world of work and labor. For those bookworms who are looking for a comprehensive source, the teacher gave me this recommendation which I am diving into as we speak.

The Revolution of 1848: A Clash of Ideas and Economics

In 1848, a wave of revolutions swept across Europe, driven by widespread dissatisfaction with political elites, economic stagnation, and a desire for increased representation and freedom.

SOUND FAMILIAR?

Citizens from various classes rose against monarchies, demanding rights, improved working conditions, and an end to aristocratic domination. Though these revolutions were quickly quelled, their causes and consequences—stemming from the Industrial Revolution's reshaping of economies—mirror many of the issues we face today with the rapid rise of AI and related technologies in this fourth and soon following fifth industrial revolution.

The original Industrial Revolution created significant displacement in jobs as machines replaced manual labor. Entire classes of skilled workers found themselves rendered obsolete. Similarly, today we see AI-driven automation, machine learning, and robotics transforming industries, likely eliminating millions of existing jobs while leaving a 3 to 5-year gap before the millions of new jobs it will also create that haven’t been conceived of yet. Just like the 19th-century upheavals were sparked by economic inequality and a demand for political reform, the current wave of technological disruption has already begun sparking debates about ethics, wealth gap inequality, the future of work, and democracy itself.

A Mirror of Today’s AI Revolution

Much like the industrial age, the AI revolution brings promises of efficiency, productivity, and wealth. But with these promises come important ethical questions that are important we ask as leaders centered around the simple theme of “Just because we can do something, should we?…”

There is no way to un-invent something or put code back in the proverbial bag, so this future will arrive inevitably whether we like it or not. The key choice we have today while the cement has been poured is to decide whether we will put our individual and collective fingerprints in it before it dries. The foundation of the next 100 years and possibly the entire future of humanity will be set in the next 5-10 years.

This opportunity is now to once again ask ethical and moral questions and to evaluate how these technologies could be used to drive competing economic prosperity to the status quo models of war and endless fiat debasement are now. If our future generations are to live in a world better than ours, it will be because we built the global economic systems of the next 100+ years with an enlightened self-interest that gave each of us more of what we want, while giving society at large the homeostatic and decentralized balance it so desperately needs.

The lessons from the revolutions of 1848 offer key insights on how to navigate the complexities ahead by looking a short 176 years back in time.

1. Balance Between Innovation and Inclusion

Today we have bastardized terms like inclusion into trigger words through corporate wokeness, but In 1848, as industrialization rapidly advanced, many workers were left behind, unable to adapt to the new economic order. This led to widespread discontent, which was a core driver of the revolutions. Fast forward to today: AI and automation threaten to make many jobs, from trucking to financial analysis, obsolete. Without strategic inclusion of those affected—through upskilling, reskilling, and creating new types of jobs—we risk similar unrest. An obvious insight, and in some ways harder to do at the scale of 8 billion people today, but also easier since we have connected the majority of humanity with mobile access to the potential solutions and AI can rapidly level their re-skilling learning curve.

Leaders today must recognize that innovation alone isn't enough; there must be a commitment to social inclusion and a free-market meritocracy of incentives. In my humble opinion, inclusion should use innovation to break down barriers that prevent anyone from accessing equal opportunity to the tools, information, and resources they need to level up their life, but should not promise equal outcomes or centralized money traps that fill the coffers of non-profit entities designed to exploit these actions under the cover of DEI initiatives.

A just transition means preparing the workforce, implementing policies that protect displaced workers, incentivize job creators -entrepreneurs create the jobs of the future, not government bureaucrats)- and ensuring that AI's benefits are shared broadly, rather than being concentrated in the hands of a few. Side note: OpenAI is an incredible growth story but isn’t “OPEN” so it should change its name to something accurate like “CentralizedAI” and regulators and citizens must make sure that the lobbyists don’t get to write the AI regulations we all live by without a significant decentralized set of cognitive diversity outside of the 5 Big Tech corporate interest. I applaud the folks at IBM and my friend Dario Gil for forming the AI Alliance to help bring dozens of large and small firms into the mix for a more open ecosystem of responsible AI development.

2. Political Reform and Representation

In 1848, there was a demand for political reform that echoed the growing desire for democratic representation. The lesson for 2024 is clear: As technology reshapes societies, there is an urgent need for governance reform. Policymakers must not only regulate AI but must also involve the public in decisions that impact their lives. The development and deployment of AI should be done with transparency, fairness, and accountability, just as the revolutions of 1848 called for more inclusive governance.

Without proper checks and balances, AI could exacerbate inequality, concentrating power among corporations and tech elites while disempowering the masses. Public participation in AI governance will ensure that ethical considerations and human rights remain central in our technological future.

3. Ethical Boundaries

In 1848, many revolutions were driven by a moral imperative—an outcry against exploitation and oppression. Similarly, the AI revolution presents moral challenges. Just because we can create powerful surveillance tools, automate decisions, or generate convincing deepfakes doesn’t mean we should. It also means that the government that embraces the constitutional and moral directives of Life, Liberty, & the Pursuit of Happiness as its core tenants versus Consumption, Coercion, & Mass Compliance, will be the new light on the hill that humans will seek to migrate their families to in the coming years at any cost.

Ethical AI is essential but not guaranteed. Governments, tech companies, and citizens must work together to set boundaries on what AI can and should do. This includes protecting privacy, avoiding biases in AI systems, and ensuring that AI applications align with human values. In an era where AI is capable of decision-making, ethics must be our guide.

4. The Social Contract Must Evolve

The revolutions of 1848 were a response to the breaking of the social contract between rulers and the ruled. The rapid industrial changes altered the existing social structures, and the working classes demanded new protections, rights, and opportunities.

Today, we face a similar need to renegotiate the social contract. As AI reshapes our economies and labor markets, there must be policies that provide safety nets for displaced workers, support for lifelong learning, and protections from exploitation in a world where data is the new currency. A social contract that empowers individuals to thrive in the face of technological disruption is critical to prevent the social discontent seen in 1848.

5. Navigating Change with Empathy

The revolutions of 1848 were not just political; they were deeply human. The cries for better working conditions, political representation, and social justice were fundamentally about dignity. As we look at the disruptive potential of AI today, it's vital to navigate change with empathy. Technology should enhance human well-being, not diminish it. Genius IQ is now fully available to any human with a click of a button through the democratization of AI, SO NOW THE race to optimize EQ will be the advantage of the future for humans seeking to climb the ladder of humanity’s hierarchy.

Leaders must prioritize people over profits in the near term to ensure that they have an abundance of both in the long term.

AI has the power to amplify human potential, but it must be harnessed with care. By ensuring that the social, economic, and psychological impacts of AI are considered, we can avoid the mistakes of 1848 when rapid industrial change left too many behind.

Conclusion: A Cautionary Tale for 2024

The lessons of 1848 remind us that while technology can propel societies forward, it can also widen inequalities, destabilize economies, and create unrest if left unchecked. It also reminds us that the Luddites don’t win and to put our head in the sand is a counter-productive and doomed strategy. There are no more safehaven escapes from the reach of this technology, so we need to now optimize the human experience within our global data-driven environment. The decisions we make today about AI and related technologies will shape the future of work, governance, and society for decades to come.

Just because we can replace human judgment with algorithms, automate jobs at scale, or push the boundaries of surveillance, doesn’t mean we should. The key is finding balance—between innovation and humanity, between efficiency and ethics, between progress and inclusion. By looking to the lessons of the past, we can navigate the complex and uncertain future of AI with wisdom and foresight, ensuring that this revolution benefits all, not just a few.

As we usher in this new age, let empathy, inclusion, and ethics be our guiding lights. I will see you out there on the field!

Enjoy your weekend :)