Jurassic Park, AI, and Why “Inherited Power” Should Make Us Nervous
One of the most enduring insights from science fiction isn’t about robots, dinosaurs, or spaceships — it’s about power. In a recent episode of Modem Futura, we revisited a striking passage from Jurassic Park that feels uncannily relevant to our current moment of AI acceleration.
In the novel, Ian Malcolm warns that scientific power acquired too quickly — without discipline, humility, or deep understanding — is fundamentally dangerous. It’s “inherited wealth,” not earned mastery. Thirty-five years later, that warning lands squarely in the middle of our generative AI era.
Today, AI tools can write code, generate images, summarize research, and mimic expertise in seconds. That’s not inherently bad — in fact, it can be incredibly empowering. But it also creates a dangerous illusion: that capability equals comprehension, and speed equals wisdom. When friction disappears, responsibility often follows.
In the episode, Andrew and I explore why the most important question isn’t whether we should use these tools, but how we use them — and with what mindset. Are we willing to be humble in the face of tools that amplify our reach far faster than our understanding? Are we prepared to ask for receipts, interrogate outputs, and recognize the limits of borrowed intelligence?
From there, we leaned into something equally important: imagination. Through our Futures Improv segment, we explored bizarre but revealing scenarios — humans generating calories from sunlight, a world of post-scarcity socks, radically extended lifespans, lunar independence movements, and even the possibility that alien life might be… profoundly boring.
These playful provocations aren’t escapism. They’re a way of breaking free from “used futures” — recycled assumptions about progress that limit our thinking. Humor, speculation, and creativity allow us to test ideas safely before reality forces our hand.
If there’s one takeaway from this episode, it’s this: the future isn’t just something that happens to us. It’s something we ponder, question, and design together — ideally before the metaphorical dinosaurs escape the park.
🎧 Listen to the full episode of Modem Futura wherever you get your podcasts, and join us as we explore what it really means to be human in an age of powerful machines.
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🎧 Apple Podcast: https://apple.co/3NIBdlt
🎧 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/32wGw6htnSDyGVc08DAvvQ?si=m8jS08egQyOZjYTic6cROw
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🌐 Website: https://www.modemfutura.com/
