A wonderful read by Alistair Mackay about resisting the “inevitability” of AI.
I wouldn’t be surprised if there is astroturfing going on in social media spaces because the glut of AI apologists out there going “adapt or die” is really remarkable.
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The copium dose has upped since the bubble accusations took hold.
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Assuming that foundational concepts of capitalism still apply, what happens when markets run out of consumers (when the last job is replaced)?
Or, to frame it in another epoch, when the last peasant has been exiled?
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“Life” on planet Earth has evolved thanks to physical and chemical interactions over millions of years. The thread that brings us to where we are and where we will go in future is the built-in survival factor. Each creature, each plant, comes with an ability to sustain its type through some form of procreation. Some will be more successful than others and all will be ultimately influenced by the natural progression of this solar system towards collapse.
From the macroscopic to the microscopic - what gives humans in our world the properties that equip them to sustain their species? How are they different from other species? Typically, we regard them as sentient, having intelligence and communication abilities greater than other creatures. They have developed tools to magnify exponentially their ability to travel, to construct and to destruct. But does this capacity really lift them above other creatures, other species? Has God given them a unique mission?
I think not. Human development over thousands of years remains slow when compared with planetary and beyond development over millions of years. We are not a solitary species, able to be self-sufficient from day to day. We are a herd species, seeking the support of group activity and accepting leadership to insulate us from our own ignorance. For all of our scientific, technical and social “progress”, the majority of humans function best in a guided environment with boundaries that limit their exposure to risk. Channelling behaviour in such an environment in order to sustain the species requires acknowledgement and enforcement of the “rules” that prevent the community from collapsing into anarchy.
AI is neither artificial, nor is it intelligent. It is merely the latest manifestation of the ability of humans to create and adapt tools to enhance the productivity of many while increasing the power of the few. It is no more decreasing the artistic and creative abilities of authors and painters than did the arrival of the printing press or the spray gun.