A grassroots effort to get more of us humans engaged in the conversation about AI* so it goes well—individually and collectively.
*Includes AGI and ASI and all the implications of AI, not just personal use.
Vision:
Engage the majority of people who aren't paid for AI safety* or AI hype, and who are most affected by the consequences of both. The Watercooler project gives us a human, centralized thinking place that isn't social media because, well, you know why.
More voices engaged hopefully means more humans thoughtfully navigating AI—making it go well for all of us.
Specific goals:
Surface how individual humans are navigating AI—the good, the concerning, and everything in between.
Soften strong opinions and promote curiosity toward others navigating the same thing. #InThisTogether.
Make AI safety a mainstream conversation and give media a window into unfiltered human perspectives.
*The field trying to make sure AI stays in human control, doesn't result in extreme power concentrations, and doesn't wreck our existence.
others have contributed so far. Add your thoughts to see theirs.
Examples of thoughtful responses:
Concerned
Why: “While there are potentially many benefits, some risks could be catastrophic and I don’t think society is sufficiently prepared”
How: “I use it to redteam/refine my thinking, draft stuff, summarize stuff, discuss regulatory concerns, research”
35-44 · Female · Self-employed or freelance
Optimistic
Why: “I see democratizing information and knowledge as incredibly beneficial to society. also, many benefits from physical compute infra buildout”
How: “I use it mainly for research, project prep, and strategic planning. I use it all the time. It’s so useful / interesting its nearly addicting”
25-34 · Male · My paycheck job is not much changed by AI
“I feel _______ about our future with AI.”
Choose one *
Why optimistic or concerned? *
0 / 140
What do you use AI for? If you avoid it at all, why? *
0 / 140
The following are asked not to be annoying but to add humanizing context to your answers.
Your vote is completely anonymous. No personally identifying information is collected or stored. On the next screen you'll have the chance to subscribe to Watercooler updates and insights.
Next step: Subscribe to get Watercooler project updates and insights via email. It's where we keep thinking about all this. Very human, short, weekly.
How actual humans currently feel
Optimistic
0%0
Concerned
0%0
Breakdown by age, gender & occupation provided at the bottom.
Early responses predate current prompts.
No comments yet
This project is led by a former tech manager turned author + humorist. Over here winging the uncertainty of AI/life without alarm thanks to good roots.