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Effective accelerationism

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e/acc hyperbolic curve logo designed by Will DePue of OpenAI[1]—likely an allusion to the idea of a technological singularity.

Effective accelerationism, often abbreviated as "e/acc", is a 21st-century philosophical movement that advocates for an explicitly pro-technology stance.[2] Its proponents believe that unrestricted technological progress (especially driven by artificial intelligence) is a solution to universal human problems like poverty, war and climate change.[3] They see themselves as a counterweight to more cautious views on technological innovation, often giving their opponents the derogatory labels of "doomers" or "decels" (short for deceleration).[3][4]

The movement carries utopian undertones and argues that humans need to develop and build faster to ensure their survival and propagate consciousness throughout the universe.[5] Its founders Guillaume Verdon and the pseudonymous Bayeslord see it as a way to "usher in the next evolution of consciousness, creating unthinkable next-generation lifeforms."[6]

Although effective accelerationism has been described as a fringe movement and as cult-like, it has gained mainstream visibility in 2023.[7][6][8][9][10] A number of high-profile Silicon Valley figures, including investors Marc Andreessen and Garry Tan explicitly endorsed it by adding "e/acc" to their public social media profiles.[6][10]

Etymology and central beliefs

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Effective accelerationism, a portmanteau of "effective altruism" and "accelerationism",[4] is a fundamentally techno-optimist movement.[11] According to Guillaume Verdon, one of the movement's founders, its aim is for human civilization to "clim[b] the Kardashev gradient", meaning its purpose is for human civilization to rise to next levels on the Kardashev scale by maximizing energy usage.[11]

To achieve this goal, effective accelerationism wants to accelerate technological progress. It is strongly focused on artificial general intelligence (AGI), because it sees AGI as fundamental for climbing the Kardashev scale.[11] The movement therefore advocates for unrestricted development and deployment of artificial intelligence.[12] Regulation of artificial intelligence and government intervention in markets more generally is met with opposition. Many of its proponents have libertarian views and think that AGI will be most aligned if many AGIs compete against each other on the marketplace.[11]

The founders of the movement see it as rooted in Jeremy England's theory on the origin of life, which is focused on entropy and thermodynamics.[11] According to them, the universe aims to increase entropy, and life is a way of increasing it. By spreading life throughout the universe and making life use up ever increasing amounts of energy, the universe's purpose would thus be fulfilled.[11]

History

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Intellectual origins

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While Nick Land is seen as the intellectual originator of contemporary accelerationism in general,[10][6] the precise origins of effective accelerationism remain unclear. The earliest known reference to the movement can be traced back to a May 2022 newsletter published by four pseudonymous authors known by their X (formerly Twitter) usernames @BasedBeffJezos, @bayeslord, @zestular and @creatine_cycle.[10]

Effective accelerationism incorporates elements of older Silicon Valley subcultures such as transhumanism and extropianism, which similarly emphasized the value of progress and resisted efforts to restrain the development of technology, as well as the work of the Cybernetic Culture Research Unit.[6][13][11]

Disclosure of the identity of BasedBeffJezos

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Forbes disclosed in December 2023 that the @BasedBeffJezos persona is maintained by Guillaume Verdon, a Canadian former Google quantum computing engineer and theoretical physicist.[14] The revelation was supported by a voice analysis conducted by the National Center for Media Forensics of the University of Colorado Denver, which further confirmed the match between Jezos and Verdon. The magazine justified its decision to disclose Verdon's identity on the grounds of it being "in the public interest".[14]

On 29 December 2023 Guillaume Verdon was interviewed by Lex Fridman on the Lex Fridman Podcast and introduced as the "founder of [the] e/acc (effective accelerationism) movement".[15]

Second Trump presidency

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Further information: Second presidency of Donald Trump

Following Donald Trump's victory in the 2024 U.S. presidential election, several prominent tech industry figures expressed support for positions aligned with effective accelerationism, particularly regarding deregulation and technological advancement.[16][17] The potential appointment of Elon Musk to government roles focused on auditing federal programs drew support from venture capitalists who anticipated reduced regulatory oversight of the technology sector.[16]

Notable tech figures publicly connected these developments to the movement's principles. Aaron Levie, CEO of Box, expressed support for "removing unnecessary red tape and over-regulation," while Mark Pincus, early Facebook investor and Zynga founder, explicitly referenced "effective accelerationism" in his post-election commentary. Venture capitalists viewed the incoming administration as an opportunity to ease regulations that had affected technology mergers and acquisitions during the previous years.[16]

Relation to other movements

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Traditional accelerationism

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Traditional accelerationism, as developed by the British philosopher Nick Land, sees the acceleration of technological change as a way to bring about a fundamental transformation of current culture, society, and the political economy.[3] In his earlier writings he saw the acceleration of capitalism as a way to overcome this economic system itself.[3] In contrast, effective accelerationism does not seek to overcome capitalism or to introduce radical societal change but tries to maximize the probability of a technocapital singularity, triggering an intelligence explosion throughout the universe and maximizing energy usage.[10][11]

Effective altruism

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Effective accelerationism also diverges from the principles of effective altruism, which prioritizes using evidence and reasoning to identify the most effective ways to altruistically improve the world.[3] This divergence comes primarily from one of the causes effective altruists focus on – AI existential risk. Effective altruists argue that AI companies should be cautious and strive to develop safe AI systems, as they fear that any misaligned AGI could eventually lead to human extinction.[11] Proponents of Effective Accelerationism generally consider that existential risks from AGI are negligible, and that even if they were not, decentralized free markets would much better mitigate this risk than centralized governmental regulation.[11]

d/acc

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Introduced by Vitalik Buterin in November 2023, d/acc is pro-technology like e/acc. But it assumes that maximizing profit does not automatically lead to the best outcome. The "d" in d/acc primarily means "defensive", but can also refer to "decentralization" or "differential". d/acc acknowledges existential risks and seeks a more targeted approach to technological development than e/acc, intentionally prioritizing technologies that are expected to make the world better or safer.[18][19]

Degrowth

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Effective accelerationism also stands in stark contrast with the degrowth movement, sometimes described by it as "decelerationism" or "decels". The degrowth movement advocates for reducing economic activity and consumption to address ecological and social issues. Effective accelerationism on the contrary embraces technological progress, energy consumption and the dynamics of capitalism, rather than advocating for a reduction in economic activity.[20]

Reception

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The "Techno-Optimist Manifesto",[21] a 2023 essay by Marc Andreessen, has been described by the Financial Times and the German Süddeutsche Zeitung as espousing the views of effective accelerationism.[5][22]

David Swan of The Sydney Morning Herald has criticized effective accelerationism due to its opposition to government and industry self-regulation. He argues that "innovations like AI needs thoughtful regulations and guardrails [...] to avoid the myriad mistakes Silicon Valley has already made".[23] During the 2023 Reagan National Defense Forum, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo cautioned against embracing the "move fast and break things" mentality associated with "effective acceleration [sic]". She emphasized the need to exercise caution in dealing with AI, stating "that's too dangerous. You can't break things when you are talking about AI".[6][24] In a similar vein, Ellen Huet argued on Bloomberg News that some of the ideas of the movement were "deeply unsettling", focusing especially on Guillaume Verdon's "post-humanism" and the view that "natural selection could lead AI to replace us [humans] as the dominant species."[25]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Steinberg, Julia (19 December 2023). "Move Fast and Make Things". The Free Press. Retrieved 1 July 2024.
  2. ^ Cheok, Adrian David; Edirisinghe, Chamari; Shrestha, Mangesh Lal (2024). "Effective Accelerationism and the Future of Artificial Intelligence: Navigating Ethical, Technological, and Societal Implications". The Rise of Machines: Future of Work in the Age of AI (1st ed.). Boca Raton: CRC Press. doi:10.1201/9781003449072-6. ISBN 9781003449072.
  3. ^ a b c d e Soufi, Daniel (6 January 2024). "'Accelerate or die,' the controversial ideology that proposes the unlimited advance of artificial intelligence". El País. Archived from the original on 20 January 2024. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  4. ^ a b MacColl, Margaux (7 October 2023). "It's a Cult': Inside Effective Accelerationism, the Pro-AI Movement Taking Over Silicon Valley". The Information. Archived from the original on 20 November 2023. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  5. ^ a b Hurtz, Simon (10 November 2023). "Tech-Szene im Silicon Valley: Ihr Gott ist die KI". Süddeutsche Zeitung (in German). Archived from the original on 10 November 2023. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Roose, Kevin (10 December 2023). "This A.I. Subculture's Motto: Go, Go, Go". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 11 December 2023. Retrieved 10 December 2023.
  7. ^ "'It's a cult': Inside effective accelerationism, the pro-AI movement taking over Silicon Valley". The Information.
  8. ^ "Inside the political split between AI designers that could decide our future". The Independent. 7 February 2024. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
  9. ^ Bites, Ben's. "Inside e/acc, the new religion in Silicon Valley". Ben's Bites. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
  10. ^ a b c d e Chowdhury, Hasan (28 July 2023). "Silicon Valley's favorite obscure theory about progress at all costs, which has been embraced by Marc Andreessen". Business Insider. Archived from the original on 20 November 2023. Retrieved 20 November 2023.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Torres, Émile P. (14 December 2023). "'Effective Accelerationism' and the Pursuit of Cosmic Utopia". Truthdig. Archived from the original on 18 December 2023. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  12. ^ Jones, Rachyl (16 October 2023). "Marc Andreessen just dropped a 'Techno-Optimist Manifesto' that sees a world of 50 billion people settling other planets". Fortune. Archived from the original on 28 November 2023. Retrieved 26 November 2023.
  13. ^ Breland, Ali (6 December 2023). "Meet the Silicon Valley CEOs who say greed is good—even if it kills us all". Mother Jones. Archived from the original on 8 December 2023. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
  14. ^ a b Baker-White, Emily (1 December 2023). "Who Is @BasedBeffJezos, The Leader Of The Tech Elite's 'E/Acc' Movement?". Forbes. Archived from the original on 11 December 2023. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
  15. ^ Guillaume Verdon: Beff Jezos, E/acc Movement, Physics, Computation & AGI (Podcast). Lex Fridman Podcast. Vol. 407. 29 December 2023. Archived from the original on 30 December 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
  16. ^ a b c Stokes, Samantha; Kanetkar, Riddhi; Li, Helen (8 November 2024). "Silicon Valley is betting a Musk-inspired Trump could unleash a startup boom". Business Insider. Retrieved 8 November 2024.
  17. ^ Protais, Marine (20 July 2024). "Trump et J.D Vance séduisent la tech libertarienne en prônant une dérégulation totale de l'IA" [Trump and JD Vance seduce libertarian tech by advocating total AI deregulation]. La Tribune (in French). Retrieved 8 November 2024.
  18. ^ "My techno-optimism". vitalik.eth.limo. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
  19. ^ Nelson, Jason (28 November 2023). "Ethereum Creator Vitalik Buterin: If AI Turns on Us 'Even Mars May Not Be Safe'". Decrypt. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
  20. ^ Wilhelm, Alex (20 November 2023). "Effective accelerationism, doomers, decels, and how to flaunt your AI priors". TechCrunch. Archived from the original on 23 November 2023. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  21. ^ Andreessen, Marc (16 October 2023). "The Techno-Optimist Manifesto". Andreessen Horowitz. Archived from the original on 23 November 2023. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  22. ^ Kelly, Jemima (22 October 2023). "I read Andreessen's 'techno-optimist manifesto' so you don't have to". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 14 January 2024. Retrieved 20 January 2024.
  23. ^ Swan, David (29 October 2023). "'We are conquerors': Why Silicon Valley's latest fad is its deadliest". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 13 November 2023. Retrieved 24 November 2023.
  24. ^ Reagan National Defense Forum. Simi Valley: Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation & Institute. 2 December 2023. Event occurs at 21:03. Archived from the original on 12 December 2023. Retrieved 14 December 2023 – via YouTube.
  25. ^ Huet, Ellen (6 December 2023). "A Cultural Divide Over AI Forms in Silicon Valley". Bloomberg News. Archived from the original on 30 December 2023. Retrieved 30 December 2023.
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