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What Is 'Effective Accelerationism,' The AI-Inspired Ideology? E/acc Proponents And Their Theories Explained
Various tech-adjacent internet personalities have taken on the acronym e/acc as representative of their political ideals. Such proponents are often engaged in conversations promoting the use of artificial intelligence and often hold great faith in the power of large language models to change the world for the better. But where did this acronym come from and what does it mean?
What Does E/Acc Stand For, And What Does It Mean?
E/acc stands for the phrase effective accelerationism, and it basically indicates one's personal ideological belief that artificial intelligence will one day become an all-powerful being that can fix the vast majority of humanity's problems. The phrase is derived from two tangentially related terms, Nick Land's theories of accelerationism and the philosophical movement effective altruism.
Nick Land is a British philosopher credited for coining the term "accelerationism," which describes the intensification or "acceleration" of technological change and capitalist growth as a means for radical social transformation.
Disgraced American businessman Sam Bankman-Fried is a well-known proponent of the term effective altruism, which stands for the belief that charitable giving should be undertaken in alignment with utilitarianism, ensuring good for "mankind" even at the cost of the individual. The ideologies of effective accelerationism take influence from both accelerationism and the effective altruism movement.
Who Came Up With The Term E/Acc?
The earliest known reference to e/acc or effective accelerationism is from May 31st and June 1st, 2022, with Twitter users @zetular, @BasedBeff, and @creatine_cycle taking credit for "inventing a new philosophy with the boys." These users went on to create the first document outlining e/acc ideals and defending the concept from "misconceptions" about it being the same as effective altruism or right/accelerationism.
What Are Some Reactions And Memes About E/Acc?
People engaging with e/acc proponents are generally split on agreeing and disagreeing with such ideals, with criticism generally being critical of AI as a whole and supporters banking on the success of AI to bring about a world of abundance as described by e/acc.
For the full history of effective accelerationism, be sure to check out Know Your Meme's encyclopedia entry for more information.