The power problem
What were the two most common reasons for murder throughout human history?
If you guessed God and country or religion and patriotism, you’re spot on. Not only have we mercilessly killed our own species, but organized religion and the idea of patriotism have always justified and glorified killing. Incidentally, within the animal kingdom, primates – humans, apes, monkeys and lemurs – are the most murderous, and this remains the case to this day. At the time of writing, at least two wars are underway (Russia-Ukraine and Israel-Hamas). Although a win-win solution is possible in most geopolitical and social conflicts, the old “divide and rule” formula still applies in modern politics.
In business, the situation is no different. Throughout history, entrepreneurs have abused the power of wealth to dominate markets and influence behavior. From the Dutch and English East India Companies to modern corporate giants, many have maximized their profits and influence without considering the broader impact on society. The recent TV series Rise of the billionaires is a great reminder. It cites some technology companies that abandoned their original noble missions of making the world a better place as their market dominance increased.
If the current hype is true, AI will change the way we live and work forever. Whether AI will ultimately do more good or more bad remains to be seen. Some early signs are not encouraging. Sam Altman’s Open AI has abandoned its mission to keep AI open and free. It has also quietly revised its policy against using AI for war and defense. Palmer Luckey, the 31-year-old founder of Anduril Industries, makes deadly AI-controlled weapons, such as the ALTIUS-600M combat drone, earning himself a reputation as the “Oppenheimer of Silicon Valley.” Luckey justifies his venture on the grounds of patriotism, saying his weapons will help the U.S. “avoid American ground troops in armed conflicts.”
Whether in politics, religion or economics, power is used to advance narrow interests at the expense of humanity’s survival. In the current era of existential challenges such as climate change and enormous socioeconomic inequality, we need just the opposite. The breakthrough innovations needed to address these challenges will require massive collaboration across borders, religions and companies.
To increase humanity’s chances of survival, religious, political and economic leaders must use their power differently.
Power + Integrity: Still not enough
It is a normal human tendency to maximize one’s wealth and influence. At a conference where I recently gave the keynote address, a delegate asked, “What is wrong with seeking power if you accumulate it with integrity?”
The answer depends on how we define integrity. Although there are many confusing interpretations, many people are attracted to the legal view, which is characterized by a clear code of laws and rules. In a democracy, the law often reflects the ethics of society. In this sense of the word, one is considered to have integrity if one does not lie, steal, kill, or do anything prohibited by law. But that is precisely the problem with this view: what about behaviors that are outside the purview of the legal system?
Consider this: If Sam Altman and Palmer Luckey, who make AI-based products, were to ask themselves if it was illegal, the answer would be a resounding NO. Why? Because laws about the right and wrong use of AI have not yet been written. And before they are written, enormous harm can potentially be done while the AI czars amassed enormous power. That is exactly what happened with some tech companies. Laws protecting personal data were not written until long after massive harm had been done while these companies amassed unimaginable power. Tech companies are not the only ones. History is full of examples (such as Enron, Wirecard, Lehman Brothers, and many more) where companies from nearly every industry have often taken a narrow view of integrity to justify their decisions and actions.
Although power and integrity are better than the indiscriminate use of power, they are still not enough to meet today’s challenges.
The solution?
Power + Integrity + Ethics (PIE)
To ensure that power is used for good and not evil, we need a higher form of integrity – Ethical integrity.
Ethics is a set of moral principles or rules that determine what is acceptable and what is not. Even if something is not prohibited by law, it can still be unethical. For example, not lying does not mean you are telling the truth. If you conceal the truth without lying, you may not be breaking the law, but you can still cause harm. Take Enron as an example. Initially, the management team did not break any laws. They found loopholes to override the principles or values behind the laws, causing significant harm to millions of people.
It is clear that relying solely on the law to control our actions is not enough. The difference between legality and morality is again evident in bullying. As long as it does not turn into criminal action, bullying remains legal, but few would argue that it is moral. Rather than reacting retrospectively to external developments such as AI and passing laws long after the damage has already been done (as was the case after the Enron scandal), we must proactively ensure our survival as a species by upholding ethical standards and doing what is good for humanity.
When power is used with integrity And Ethics can become a powerful force for good, because ethical integrity says we should choose our actions based not only on the letter of the law, but also on its spirit. Simply asking whether an action might be legal or illegal is not enough. We should ask ourselves how we should (or should not) act if we want to live fully according to our ethical values.
With numerous existential challenges threatening our planet and our species, ethical integrity is more important today than ever.
Take climate change, for example. Most countries don’t have laws about recycling or reducing our carbon footprint, so if we continue to overuse plastic or don’t do what we can to reduce our individual carbon footprint, we can’t technically be called deficient. But is it ethical? It might not be illegal for large companies to continue to produce and sell environmentally and socially harmful products without adequately investing in a cleaner and more inclusive future, but is it ethical? While doing nothing is not generally considered a lack of integrity act, I would argue that inaction is unethical in today’s context when it comes to environmental and social challenges.
In the business world, those who act with ethical integrity proactively develop profitable solutions to such challenges. Those who act with integrity only simply comply with legal requirements. Of course, there are also actors who deliberately engage in greenwashing or cover up the harmful effects of their business by whitewashing. These actors profit from today’s challenges.
Do you benefit from the existential challenges of our time or do you find profitable solutions?
The power of corporations cannot be underestimated. In 2021, Apple’s market value is 2.1 times the Mexican GDP, Amazon’s is 4 times the Austrian GDP, and Meta’s is 4.1 times the New Zealand GDP. Corporations have great power to bring about change, both positive and negative, but to maximize the positive impact, they must not lose sight of the real challenges.
Today’s enemy is not another competing company, political party, or country. Today’s greatest threats are environmental and social in nature, threatening the survival of planet Earth and all of humanity. Only by redefining the use of our power and joining forces to do our best together do we have a chance of saving ourselves and our only home. Throughout history, we have always played the win-lose game to win at the expense of others. While there is nothing wrong with the human desire to maximize wealth and power, it is time to start playing the win-win game.
So how you use your PIE is an individual decision. You can grow the pie to promote the prosperity of everyone, including your own, or divide it up for personal gain.
