The fate of Ukraine and democracy are inextricably linked. But a large swathe of the world doesn’t share the binary Western view: Ukraine is right, Russia is wrong. How the Global Biodiversity Framework is changing business. What can be done to rise to the challenge posed by the break-neck rise of artificial intelligence. Why human intelligence might just be too complex for our own evolutionary good.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“The defining geopolitical competition for this century is between people who support democracy, with all its imperfections and blemishes, and autocrats, who always want to rig elections and control civil society.” (Daron Acemoglu and Simon Johnson in the article of the week)
ARTICLE OF THE WEEK
Daron Acemoglu and Simon Johnson, Democracy needs Ukraine to win
(VoxEU, 24 February 2023)
The illusion of the 1990s that countries would inexorably become more democratic as they become richer and more educated is dead. Equally, the hope that democracies’ technological innovativeness would ensure they triumph against autocracies has vanished. Instead, social media and the internet have proved to be effective tools in the hands of autocracies intent on surveillance, censorship, and oppression. The two renowned MIT academics argue that what happens next in Ukraine will prove decisive because of the powerful signal it sends to anyone attempting to become a democracy. If Ukraine fails, this will pave the way for further emergence of aggressive autocrats, “using AI from China, drones from Iran, and mercenaries from Russia” (free access – reads in 7-9 min).
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Kishore Mahbubani, Time for the West to rethink goal of total defeat for Russia in Ukraine
(South-China Morning Post, 18 February 2023)
An ‘oblique’ counterpoint to the article above. At the recent Munich Security Conference, French President Macron said: “I am struck by how we have lost the trust of the global South.” As Kishore observes in this article, the perspectives of the 85% of the world’s population that lives in the Global South differs, or diverges, widely from that of the Western media that dominates the global discourse on international affairs. He analyzes the reasons why there is so much resistance, or rejection, of the Western discourse on Ukraine – in his mind a simple black-and-white perspective on the war: Ukraine is right, Russia is wrong (metered paywall – reads in 6-8 min).
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Marie Quinney and Xinqing Lu, 5 ways businesses can implement the new Global Biodiversity Framework
(World Economic Forum, 21 February 2023)
Nature is a fast-rising investment theme. This article explains how the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) signed in December 2022 at the UN COP15 will translate into business action so that biodiversity loss can be halted by 2030. Companies will be compelled to lead
the transition to a nature-positive economy by doing in particular the following: (1) monitor, assess and transparently disclose their risks, dependencies and impacts on biodiversity; (2) avoid degrading nature or significantly reduce their negative impact; (3) engage in the restoration of at least 30% of ecosystems (like investing in protected areas and conservation initiatives), (4) involve Indigenous people and local communities (IPLCs) in decision-making. As far as Nature is concerned, business-as-usual is dead! (free access – reads in 7-9 min).
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Peter Coy, We’re Unprepared for the A.I. Gold Rush
(The New York Times, 22 February 2023)
AI is coming at us so fast that is “breaking our all-too-human brains (…). We don’t understand what’s happening inside the black boxes of AI, and what we don’t understand, we understandably fear.” The regulators and lawmakers won’t be of much help because, like us, they can’t keep up with AI. This article highlights the profound ethical, philosophical, and regulatory issues posed by a technology that engineers were expecting in 10 years from now. The point to remember: “New technologies unfortunately typically bring out both the best and worst in people. It will take an all-out effort to beat back the worst and bring forth the best” (gifted article – reads in 6-8 min).
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PD Smith, If Nietzsche Were a Narwhal by Justin Gregg review – the problem with human intelligence
(The Guardian, 8 February 2023)
A short piece about a great book: “If Nietzsche Were a Narwhal: What Animal Intelligence Reveals About Human Stupidity”. Justin Gregg, its author (a researcher into animal cognition and behaviour) argues that animals understand how to live well better than their too brainy counterparts (us!). Could it be possible that human intelligence is in fact a liability, the source of our existential angst and increasingly apparent talent for self-destruction? The very complexity of our intelligence may make us less successful in evolutionary terms. Gregg asks: what is the point of all our intellectual achievements if we go extinct after a mere 300,000 years? If climate change is to be our downfall, then human intelligence may just turn out to be “the stupidest thing that has ever happened” (free access – reads in 4-5 min).
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