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These types of AI promotion seem to be a sort of cop-out that suggest we all look forward to a hands-off future where computers will be able to do everything fo

These types of AI promotion seem to be a sort of cop-out that suggest we all look forward to a hands-off future where computers will be able to do everything for us. Then human minds will be allocated away from thoughtful interaction with their environment and into an all-hands-on-deck scenario where neural net operations are given top priority so they can churn out some answers.

tachyonbeam 7y ago
My main short-term fear is that increased automation will lead to an increasingly isolated society. I can already get almost everything delivered through amazon, order takeout through an app without speaking to anyone. Watch movies on Netflix without needing to go to a video store. What's the world going to be like when drone deliveries become a thing, and I don't even have to speak to a delivery driver? How will it affect kids if they do all their schooling online? I think that, even before AGI happens, AI assistants will become placeholder friends for a lot of people. You'll be able to have a conversation with Siri or Alexa. Eventually, people might have pseudo relationships with robot boyfriend/girlfriends. Imagine having a friend who is anything you want them to be, does everything you want, and most importantly, never challenges you or tells you anything you don't want to hear. People will get used to that, and it will become difficult for them to have real human relationships. In other words, technology is enabling everyone to function without directly interacting with others. People might choose not to interact with other humans out of convenience, insecurity, fear. Japan already has a population of "herbivores", people who choose not to get into relationships, and the rest of the world could become like that too. I hope we find a way to reverse this trend. Short documentary on hikikomori in Japan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wE1UIK85E3E https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wE1UIK85E3E
- moneytide1 7y ago
  Your short-term fear is seeming to be validated over time as your listed "person-less" capabilities are constantly being implemented. I myself have lived brief bouts of the hikikomori lifestyle, although I still provide for myself as opposed to being taken care of by family as many are in the video you linked. But over the past few months, I've been prioritizing face-to-face conversations, especially with new people. This is the timeless, natural "neural net": When we interact in this way, we isolate certain topics that are more relevant to our modern condition because both parties involved understand there is a time constraint. There is a sort of natural algorithmic process going on in both our minds because we are calculating the ideal things to say with this "new person". If we are speaking in proximity to other people, our conversation can take on a whole new shape because there is a "public" element and perhaps we are trying to dialogue for an audience that could eventually participate if they choose to. All of these mechanisms that keep people in check with each other are completely lost when out-sourced to programmed automation and looped control. Perhaps it is not all bad though, because ordering through services like eBay/Amazon quickly and efficiently could ultimately save resources/emissions as we are having items routed to us that would historically take up space in a brick/mortar location. But the concern we are sharing here is that community is compromised when everyone has the option to anonymously do everything.
- jcranmer 7y ago
  I think your fear is misguided. People have been complaining about how technology is causing humanity to become more socially isolated for literally thousands of years, and the actual evidence has been that those complaints are unfounded. If anything, we've probably become more socially interconnected, but that's more due to the increased population density of our environs than technology changes. What a lot of people miss, I think, is that human beings are fundamentally social animals, and we crave social interaction. And I say this as a strong introvert--as someone who has to be alone to recharge myself emotionally. Things like distance learning or working from home are not well-received by most people, especially not on a long-term basis. Sure, some people will find it comfortable, but those people are a tiny majority, and I should point out that it's not a new phenomenon: Emily Dickinson for the last 10 years or so of her life or so refused to meet visitors face-to-face and rarely left her house, which is more severe than most hikikomori.

tachyonbeam 7y ago

My main short-term fear is that increased automation will lead to an increasingly isolated society. I can already get almost everything delivered through amazon, order takeout through an app without speaking to anyone. Watch movies on Netflix without needing to go to a video store. What's the world going to be like when drone deliveries become a thing, and I don't even have to speak to a delivery driver? How will it affect kids if they do all their schooling online? I think that, even before AGI happens, AI assistants will become placeholder friends for a lot of people. You'll be able to have a conversation with Siri or Alexa. Eventually, people might have pseudo relationships with robot boyfriend/girlfriends. Imagine having a friend who is anything you want them to be, does everything you want, and most importantly, never challenges you or tells you anything you don't want to hear. People will get used to that, and it will become difficult for them to have real human relationships. In other words, technology is enabling everyone to function without directly interacting with others. People might choose not to interact with other humans out of convenience, insecurity, fear. Japan already has a population of "herbivores", people who choose not to get into relationships, and the rest of the world could become like that too. I hope we find a way to reverse this trend. Short documentary on hikikomori in Japan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wE1UIK85E3E https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wE1UIK85E3E

moneytide1 7y ago
Your short-term fear is seeming to be validated over time as your listed "person-less" capabilities are constantly being implemented. I myself have lived brief bouts of the hikikomori lifestyle, although I still provide for myself as opposed to being taken care of by family as many are in the video you linked. But over the past few months, I've been prioritizing face-to-face conversations, especially with new people. This is the timeless, natural "neural net": When we interact in this way, we isolate certain topics that are more relevant to our modern condition because both parties involved understand there is a time constraint. There is a sort of natural algorithmic process going on in both our minds because we are calculating the ideal things to say with this "new person". If we are speaking in proximity to other people, our conversation can take on a whole new shape because there is a "public" element and perhaps we are trying to dialogue for an audience that could eventually participate if they choose to. All of these mechanisms that keep people in check with each other are completely lost when out-sourced to programmed automation and looped control. Perhaps it is not all bad though, because ordering through services like eBay/Amazon quickly and efficiently could ultimately save resources/emissions as we are having items routed to us that would historically take up space in a brick/mortar location. But the concern we are sharing here is that community is compromised when everyone has the option to anonymously do everything.
jcranmer 7y ago
I think your fear is misguided. People have been complaining about how technology is causing humanity to become more socially isolated for literally thousands of years, and the actual evidence has been that those complaints are unfounded. If anything, we've probably become more socially interconnected, but that's more due to the increased population density of our environs than technology changes. What a lot of people miss, I think, is that human beings are fundamentally social animals, and we crave social interaction. And I say this as a strong introvert--as someone who has to be alone to recharge myself emotionally. Things like distance learning or working from home are not well-received by most people, especially not on a long-term basis. Sure, some people will find it comfortable, but those people are a tiny majority, and I should point out that it's not a new phenomenon: Emily Dickinson for the last 10 years or so of her life or so refused to meet visitors face-to-face and rarely left her house, which is more severe than most hikikomori.