iamtrask: AI finally scales "broad listening," rebalancing 250,000 years of communication asymmetry
iamtrask · x · 2026-09-19
OpenAI researcher iamtrask offers a macro framework in a reply thread to François Fleuret: all information technology splits into broadcasting (one speaks to many) and broad listening (one listens to many).
- Language gave humans both at village scale for 250,000 years; our communication norms evolved around that balance.
- Writing, radio and TV made broadcasting scale outstrip broad listening; the internet + smartphones essentially solved broadcasting — anyone can speak to the whole planet instantly and for free.
- His implicit thesis: AI is the first technology to scale broad listening, potentially rebalancing this asymmetry (thread truncated in source).
A substantive, opinionated framework on AI's societal impact.
Related event: OpenAI Researcher Frames Info Tech as Broadcasting vs. Listening(2 posts)→
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