AI Demands Focus Like a Manhattan Project

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A public AI infrastructure should be prioritized similarly to the Manhattan Project, aiming for sustainable and prosperous futures. Current discourse around AI often resembles horse race politics, emphasizing individuals' power dynamics rather than the critical implications of AI for society. There is a pressing need for a serious conversation about the capabilities of these technologies, paralleling the historical weight of Oppenheimer's legacy. The power wielded by a small number of individuals in the AI landscape can create immense benefits or catastrophic outcomes, necessitating focused collective engagement rather than superficial coverage.

We are biologically wired to focus on the near-term, and that’s often a good thing. But in this moment — with global conflict, fast-evolving tech, and climate change dominating our present — we need to also prioritize long-term impacts. Futurist Ari Wallach joins Rapid Response host Bob Safian to dive into our biological and business motivations around what he calls “futuring.” Host of the new PBS docuseries, A Brief History of the Future, Wallach shares lessons from the longest-standing corporations on Earth, why he views AI as “immortal algorithms,” and how business leaders must embrace the moral imperative of their business as a core KPI.

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