Who Leads Matters: Rooting for a Roddenberry Future

I care about the future of humanity. Not just the version we experience today, but the seeds we are sowing for generations to come. I’m drawn to the ideals of a Gene Roddenberry future—a world where technology doesn’t just make us faster or prosperous, but allows us to transcend our basic struggles and focus on discovery, empathy, and potential.

Yesterday, Elon Musk hit on a distinction that we all need to hear. On the stand of this fascinating trial, he stated a few thoughts on AI: “It could make us more prosperous, but it could also kill us all... We want to be in a Gene Roddenberry movie, like Star Trek, not so much a James Cameron movie, like Terminator.”

While he can be a wild card at times, I am grateful he said this in real-time in one of the most consequential trials for our future. 

Now, I’ll admit, I don’t agree with Elon Musk on everything; most people don’t, but I also see what he is trying to build. His companies hold a "future-first" mindset that, if he stays the course, could have a massive net positive impact on the universe and the future.

As I think about this trial, I also will say that initially, I was a fan of ChatGPT and probably one of its earliest adopters and power-user (I have since shifted to Gemini), but as I have come to better see who Sam Altman is (and let’s not forget Brockman), I am a bit concerned for the future he will create, as it seems to be rooted in power and ego. . . and this matters significantly for the future.

Regardless of how we feel about these men, this trial is shedding a necessary light on a critical truth: Who leads AI matters. 

The decisions made by an AI CEO today carry more weight than almost any other corporate decision in history. These leaders are shaping the future in ways that may soon be irreversible. 

Every time a major decision is made, the leaders at the helm should be asking the Jurassic Park question: “just because we can, should we?” And the Tim Cook question: “who will I be after this decision”. These kinds of questions matter, and the people leading AI and the future forward matter. 

So while he’s not perfect, I do agree with Elon’s vision that we should work towards a Roddenberry future - one defined by wonder, growth, and shared abundance. And let’s build that on a foundation of ethics that honors the human spirit and our future generations. 

Looking forward to seeing how Day 2 unfolds.