Applied History Project

Article of the Week 

“Humanity Has Avoided Apocalypse Before. Let’s Do It Again” by the Editorial Board in The New York Times

The Times presents the regulation of nuclear weapons as an existence proof for the proposition that America and the international community can successfully mitigate the risks posed by AI today. “The nuclear analogy is useful,” they write, “because it reminds us of something our cynical age can forget: Human society can restrain a dangerous innovation once it decides to.” The piece acknowledges meaningful differences between nuclear technology and AI, especially the fact that private companies—not a secret military project—are leading AI development. Nonetheless, the piece recommends creating an AI analog of the Atomic Energy Commission and establishing talks with China on AI constraints, similar to nuclear talks with the USSR.

The mission of Harvard’s Applied History Project is to revitalize applied history by promoting the production and use of historical reasoning to clarify public and private challenges and choices. Founded by Professors Graham Allison and Niall Ferguson in 2016, the Applied History Project builds upon the foundation laid by Professors Ernest May and Richard Neustadt in the 1980s, reflected in their book Thinking in Time: The Uses of History for Decision Makers. 

Advancing its mission, the Project sponsors the Applied History Working Group of faculty members across Harvard University to organize discussions with scholars and practitioners; supports historians and policymakers in producing Applied History; develops courses in Applied History; funds the Ernest May Fellowships in History and Policy for pre- and post-doctoral students; and holds Applied History Events open to the Harvard Community and the public. Harvard’s project is one of the leaders among a rapidly expanding network of universities and think tanks that are furthering the discipline of Applied History by clarifying predicaments and choices to inform better decisions.

The Project gratefully acknowledges the Stanton Foundation's generous support for its Applied History endeavors.