The Vision of Trillion-Population and Space Colonies
Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon, recently shared his optimistic view on the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on humanity. In a podcast interview with Lex Fridman, Bezos stated that he believes AI is more likely to save humanity rather than make it go extinct. He even expressed his desire to see the human population grow to one trillion. However, Bezos dismissed the idea of colonizing other planets, proposing a different solution instead.
The Advantages of O’Neill Space Colonies
According to Bezos, the key to achieving such a massive population growth lies in the construction of enormous O’Neill space colonies. These cylindrical structures, rotating around an axis, would provide an artificial Earth-like environment and utilize rotation to create artificial gravity. Bezos asserted that if the world housed a trillion individuals, it would enable the existence of a thousand Mozarts and a thousand Einsteins at any given time.
Contrasting Visions: Bezos vs. Musk
Bezos’ perspective diverges from that of Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla. While Musk aims to colonize Mars and establish a “multiplanetary species” through SpaceX, Bezos promotes the construction of O’Neill space colonies near Earth. Bezos envisions a future where people can travel to these space stations on vacation. He proposes utilizing resources from the Moon and asteroid belt to build the colonies and support a population 125 times larger than the current Earth population.
AI: A Tool for Humanity’s Benefit?
Bezos defended his positive view of AI and its potential to help and save humanity. Dismissing concerns raised by Musk about AI risks, Bezos emphasized the need to think long-term and foster a more optimistic mindset. He suggested that powerful AI tools have a greater likelihood of benefiting humanity rather than causing harm. Through his vision of trillion-population and O’Neill space colonies, Bezos presents an alternative future for humanity—one where AI contributes to our advancement and where vast space stations serve as hubs for our growing population.