# Is this the civilization we really want? (2017)

> Source: <https://dynamicland.org/archive/2017/Is_this_the_civilization_we_really_want>
> Published: 2026-08-26 08:07:05+00:00

## November 2017

# Is this the civilization we really want?

### by Bret Victor

A response to a draft of
[Using Artificial Intelligence to Augment Human Intelligence](https://distill.pub/2017/aia/) by
[Michael Nielsen](https://michaelnielsen.org) and
[Shan Carter](http://shancarter.com).

“IA” here refers to human [“intelligence augmentation”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intelligence_amplification),
in contrast to “AI”, or [“artificial intelligence”](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_intelligence).