Artificial Intelligence - In Service of Life? | Frankly 92

(Recorded April 21, 2025)

What if the most powerful tool humanity has ever created could either help heal the Earth — or accelerate its unraveling?

In this special Earth Week edition of Frankly, Nate delves into what it truly means for a technology or project to be “in service of Life,” using the rapidly evolving landscape of Artificial Intelligence as an example. Like any other tool that humanity has created, AI has the potential to either mitigate humanity’s impact on our planetary home or deepen the ecological crises we face. Nate speculates on the key metrics that might guide AI and other technologies toward goals that support the abundance and vibrancy of all complex life on Earth.

In an age overflowing with information, could rethinking our relationships and incentive structures offer a clearer path forward? How can we identify goals that are not in service of Life? Finally, how could a shift in social and cultural values play the most critical part in transforming our human system to be aligned with the rest of the biosphere?

Show Notes and More:
https://www.thegreatsimplification.com/frankly-original/92-artificial-intelligence-in-service-of-life

Want to learn the broad overview of The Great Simplification in 30 minutes? Watch our Animated Movie:
https://youtu.be/-xr9rIQxwj4?feature=shared

---

Support The Institute for the Study of Energy and Our Future:
https://www.thegreatsimplification.com/support

Join our Substack newsletter:
https://natehagens.substack.com/

Join our Discord channel and connect with other listeners:
https://discord.gg/ZFfQqtqMJf

---

00:00 - Introduction
03:29 - AI in Service of Life
07:58 - 5 Horsemen of the 2020s
09:51 - Catalog of Life
12:42 - Not in Service of Life
24:13 - The Great Simplification