A Big Letter To The World
https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnwerner/2026/07/16/a-big-letter-to-the-world/
Publish Date: 2026-07-16 10:03:00
Source Domain: www.forbes.com
There’s a new essay on AI online, in the form of an open letter, and it’s only 88 words long. But a lot more length is devoted to the signatories of this missive, who are cautioning the rest of us to think deeply about the advances that we see in artificial intelligence.
The letter, called “We Must Act Now,” is signed by dozens of prominent people. At a glance, I recognized some of those who have participated in talks and panels here at MIT events: Reid Hoffman, for one, and Erik Brynjolfsson, and Yoshua Bengio. That list goes on and on. I know a few dozen of these signatories, and am familiar with the names of many more.
So I wanted to break this down into its component parts. The short letter consists of three numbered statements. The first is this:
“AI may become radically more powerful over the next 10 years.”
That statement sort of speaks for itself. Many would agree that this is a likelihood.
The next piece?
“This could drive an unprecedented transformation of our economy, larger than the Industrial Revolution, but unfolding over a vastly shorter time frame. It could bring risks, including large-scale job displacement, as well as opportunities such as major gains in living standards.”
The Fourth Industrial Revolution, and More
Some are now calling the age of AI the “Fourth Industrial Revolution.” This proceeds from the idea that the First Industrial Revolution was the introduction of mass manufacturing, steam-driven machines, etc. and the Second Industrial Revolution followed, with things like telegraph lines, railroad networks, and public water and sewer lines. The third such revolution is described as the “information age,” starting with the personal computer and the internet.
The fourth revolution, then, is built around AI, the Internet of Things, and all of today’s accomplishments.
Look at the above text from the letter. One thing that signatories are worried about is the short time frame in which all of this is taking place. Job…
