AI and the Library of Alexandria: A Collective Vision

AI and the Power of the Collective: Towards a New Library of Alexandria

In an unexpected paradox, companies specializing in artificial intelligence have, through their actions, highlighted the importance and power of collective initiatives. This situation invites us to consider the symbolic reconstruction of the Library of Alexandria, bringing together all human knowledge.

A Fundamental Contradiction

There is a striking contradiction between the demonstration of the collective's strength by AI and the way these companies are structured. Indeed, most companies in the sector have adopted various strategies to accumulate knowledge. This includes licensing agreements with content providers, the use of public domain works, and sometimes more controversial practices such as photocopying or legal disputes. These companies, operating under commercial statuses, have each undertaken to copy a considerable portion of global knowledge for their own benefit. This approach has led to significant energy waste and often unnecessary data duplication.

The Unintentional Demonstration by AI Companies

AI companies, although motivated by capitalist interests, have inadvertently proven the effectiveness of centralizing human knowledge. By gathering knowledge produced by authors and creators from around the world, they have validated the value of collective approaches. Yet, these companies remain under the control of a small number of shareholders, which contrasts with the idea of universal knowledge sharing.

Towards Better Cooperation

This situation of waste and redundancy cannot persist in the long term. The question of the potential bursting of the AI financial bubble is an example of the need to rethink our approaches. Why not consider the creation of an international, non-profit consortium dedicated to distributing the knowledge of humanity?

Such a consortium could fairly compensate the involved parties, such as coders, developers, and researchers, while avoiding the waste of financial resources and over-investments. It is crucial to coordinate efforts to optimize the use of available resources.

The Renewal of the Collective

The ultimate goal is to make all human knowledge accessible to everyone. In a context of limited resources and climate and energy challenges, the only rational approach is to pool efforts for the common good.

Although AI has demonstrated the value of collective approaches, it has not yet employed the most effective methods for sharing and creating knowledge. To achieve this goal, we must develop more sophisticated and tailored tools.

The creation of a knowledge-sharing consortium, inspired by the Library of Alexandria, will require the development of a new universal language of knowledge. This organization will need to possess a technological advantage to convince of its necessity and surpass current AI approaches.

We will revisit this topic in the coming months to explore concrete solutions.