Robin Hanson: People Would Demand Caution on Water, Phones and Penicillin If Invented Today
inductionheads · x · 2026-09-13
Economist Robin Hanson offers a thought experiment: imagine familiar technologies like water pipes, electricity, telephones, or penicillin were introduced today. He argues people would invent all sorts of imagined problems as reasons to adopt them slowly.
The implication is a pointed analogy for current attitudes toward AI: much of the resistance to new technologies stems from a psychological reflex rather than a sober assessment of real risks, fueling ongoing debate over tech panic and regulatory pacing.
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