AI, and where I disagree with Einstein

I try not to make a habit of disagreeing with Albert Einstein too often. But there’s one often-repeated quote from him, that – though provocative – is, I think, actually wrong:

"The release of atomic power has changed everything. Except our way of thinking."

What he intended, of course, was a warning about combining nuclear power with the dark impulses of our human nature. Fair enough. But where I disagree is in the assertion that major technological disruptions don’t change our way of thinking. I believe they do – profoundly. They fundamentally change what human civilization stands for, how it operates, what we value, and the risks we’re willing to take.

And, as we’re now witnessing the burgeoning advancements of AI, we need to urgently take notice of this dynamic.

Consider Gutenberg's printing press, which didn’t just efficiently put ink onto paper; what it did was transform people’s relationship with knowledge. It was not just an evolution in printing technology; it was a revolution in cultural and intellectual exchange. The press broke down barriers, enabling ideas to travel faster and further, laying the groundwork for the Renaissance, the Reformation, and the scientific revolution. It did indeed change how we think.

Also consider Copernicus’s astronomical observations. The result wasn’t just a better understanding of the moving bodies in the sky, but rather a radical shift in our entire perspective. Copernicus challenged the prevailing geocentric worldview that had dominated for centuries. He didn't just change how we looked at the stars; he changed how we saw ourselves, our world, and our place in the grand scheme of things.

And, think about the industrial revolution. The machines were important, but they weren’t the headline. What truly changed was human labor, lifestyle, and values, bringing about a new world of mass production and consumption. The way people worked, lived, and interacted with each other and their environment underwent profound disruption, which altered the course of humanity.

And of course, to Einstein’s point: nuclear power, for the first time, gave humans the means of ending their own civilization. Looking at how geopolitics unfolded over the last eighty years, I’d say that it did indeed fundamentally change how we think and act.

The AI revolution is uniquely powerful because it combines all of the above. Like the printing press, it fundamentally transforms our relationship with knowledge. Like Copernicus’s insights, it challenges our anthropocentric views, forcing us to acknowledge a universe of intelligence beyond the human mind. Like the industrial revolution, it will disrupt how live, how we work, and what we value. And, like nuclear power, it will easily cripple civilization if applied in the wrong way.

Like Einstein and the nuclear pioneers, we're charting unknown territory with AI. It's not just about what AI can do; it's about how it changes us – our societies, our ethics, our risk tolerances.

As we harness this new “atomic power” of the digital age, I’d love to ensure our way of thinking evolves too, guiding AI towards enriching human life and safeguarding our collective future. Our greatest challenge – and opportunity – lies in aligning AI's transformative power with a vision for a better, more enlightened world. I’m proud that here at Accenture we’ve been focused intently on understanding and applying what it means to truly engage AI responsibly – and, as a start, I hope that can be a model and inspiration for business leaders, innovators and designers as we all move forward with this technology into the unknown.