Should human obsolescence be our goal? Different Sectors, Different Goals Recent events have got me thinking about AI as it relates to our civic institutions — think government, education, public libraries, and so on. We often forget that civic and governmental organizations are inherently deeply different from private companies and profit-making enterprises. They exist to enable people to live their best lives, protect people’s rights, and make opportunities accessible, even if (especially if) this work doesn’t have immediate monetary returns.