Do you know what those tech magnates wish for us regarding Mars? Dismiss them.

Tech tycoons advocating for space exploration and settlement as solutions to humanity’s challenges should be disregarded, according to Adam Becker.

These executives possess minimal knowledge in engineering or astrophysics and their arguments lack substantial support beyond their wealth, claimed Becker, an astrophysicist, journalist, and author of the recent book “More Everything Forever: AI Overlords, Space Empires, and Silicon Valley’s Crusade to Control the Fate of Humanity.”

“They believe that wealth serves as a measure of a person’s value and intelligence, implying that if someone has less wealth, their opinions can be disregarded,” explained Becker, who participated in a recent Harvard Science Book Talk alongside Moira Weigel, assistant professor of comparative literature and faculty associate at the Berkman Klein Center for Internet and Society, as well as Max Gladstone, a celebrated science fiction and fantasy novelist.

Becker attained a Ph.D. in computational cosmology at the University of Michigan in 2012. He admitted that as a young person, he too envisioned the future among the stars.

“I didn’t question that belief for many years,” he shared with the audience. “As I matured, I gained knowledge and realized, ‘Oh, that’s unrealistic. We’re not going to explore space, and certainly, going to space won’t improve our situation.’”

In his book, Becker analyzes the “groundless fantasies” propagated by tech billionaire CEOs, futurists, and philosophers. Each chapter highlights prominent figures — including philosopher Peter Singer, effective altruist William MacAskill, and futurist and former tech entrepreneur Ray Kurzweil — who assert they can perfect what lies ahead for humanity. Some, like SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, possess the financial means to chase those convictions.

Initially, Becker thought the subcultures he examines in his book — rationalists, effective altruists, and proponents of the singularity (the concept where technology merges with humanity) — were “largely benign.” However, that perspective has evolved.

“People were taking them seriously. That frightens me and also deeply irritates me because if you understand these subjects, it becomes evident that they are utterly clueless,” he remarked.

Becker referenced individuals, such as Silicon Valley billionaires Musk and Jeff Bezos, who futilely endeavor to “use their wealth to escape their fears.” He posited that they have amassed riches because of an inherent need for control to feel secure.

“You end up hoarding more wealth than one could ever utilize in a single lifetime and accumulating more power than any individual should possess,” he stated. “That’s insufficient, and you crave more.” 

Becker also contended that there exists “something very dualistic and haunted” in the way the subjects of his book perceive the mind. Following the passing of his father, Kurzweil began to investigate the possibility that AI might eventually be capable of gathering memories and emulating the human psyche.

These individuals typically assert that “the body is merely a vessel that the mind is unfortunately reliant upon, rather than us being our bodies,” Becker remarked.

“Our bodies are not mere space suits for our nervous systems or minds,” he asserted. “They constitute who we are, yet there’s this horror of flesh that is perpetuated by all this rhetoric.”

While addressing queries from the audience, Becker reiterated his pointed critiques of billionaires in the tech sector who proclaim to have innovative perspectives on the future.

“I believe they possess something that sounds intriguing, something they sincerely believe to be their vision for the future, but they’re no longer accustomed to critical thinking. They’re inclined to rely on instincts, and that might explain why they are so easily misled into thinking that ChatGPT and other LLMs are truly thinking rather than generating standardized, homogenized outputs,” he commented.