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The year is 2035. Your refrigerator refuses to work because of a comment overheard by your thermostat that was construed by AI as being insufficiently supporti

The year is 2035. Your refrigerator refuses to work because of a comment overheard by your thermostat that was construed by AI as being insufficiently supportive of your countries corporate foreign policy objectives. If you have nothing to hide you have nothing to fear.

deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
justAnotherNET 7y ago
1984 imagined a horrific world where the government forced you to install listening devices in your home. Meanwhile in 2020 we purchase them ourselves because we don’t want to flip light switches.
- planetzero 7y ago
  That's why the message from Fahrenheit 451 was more apt to 2020: It's not the government that creates a dystopian future, it's us.
- blaser-waffle 7y ago
  Brave New World is probably a better dystopian comparison than 1984. More "oppression-by-comfort" than "boot-on-face-forever".
  - ghostcluster 7y ago
    Every time Orwell's 1984 is mentioned on the Internet it gets this exact followup comment about Brave New World. Not saying it's wrong, but this is just some kind of law of internet discussions.
    - markdown 7y ago
      ghostcluster's law.
    - pmiller2 7y ago
      IMO, that's because the world is headed toward a techno-dystopia that lies somewhere between 1984 and Brave New World.
      - deleted 7y ago
        [deleted]
    - polynomial 7y ago
      Postman's Law.
  - pixl97 7y ago
    Oppression by comfort comes first, oppression by boot comes second after you decide the comfort isnt worth it.
    - bittercynic 7y ago
      It's much cheaper that way. If most fall in line in exchange for comfort, you don't need to pay for nearly as many boots on faces.
      - Razengan 7y ago
        Until you have robot armies you don’t need to pay, period.
  - api 7y ago
    I've heard it put this way: the dystopia we're building is Brave New World unless you truly get in the way, in which case it rapidly becomes 1984.
- jimmaswell 7y ago
  The government at least ostensibly needs a warrant to access your communications to a smart device. Mandatory government surveillance and opt-in convenience products are not on the same plane.
voodooranger 7y ago
If your fridge were really smart it would infer both your household’s disposable income and technical acumen based on its location and overheard conversations then tailor prices, failures, and replacement policies accordingly.
- makapuf 7y ago
  If it were real smart it would make you believe you are not technically able to refute its argument about needing maintenance.
  - dvtrn 7y ago
    Ah yes, the KantKooler 2000: Can you really be sure the chicken is thawing if you've never eaten chicken a priori?
- TeMPOraL 7y ago
  Of course it does that. That feature was debuted around 2024, and was present in most mainstream household appliances by 2029.
- lostlogin 7y ago
  Isn’t that already in place in a more benign form? Many appliances come out under multiple brands with different skins, badges and prices. This also applies to bigger purchases like cars.
Razengan 7y ago
Just make us meat batteries and plug us into the Matrix already.
- netsharc 7y ago
  Which is a part of The Matrix story that doesn't make sense... It would've made more sense to say that they were using the human brains as CPUs, so conciously the humans were living in society, but sub/unconciously they were performing calculations for "the machines". Which would open up an interesting plot, if the machines' (AI) "consciousness" ran on our brains and they didn't have their own hardware CPUs, would that make the humans the machines? Or would the program be seen like a computer virus?
  - Rebelgecko 7y ago
    Originally, in earlier versions of the script the humans were used as CPUs. IIRC the studio made the Wachowskis change to using humans for power generation.
    - dajohnson89 7y ago
      what do you think motivated that change?
      - reificator 7y ago
        They didn't think audiences were ready to view the brain as a computer. I disagree, but 20+ years later I don't think it would even be an issue, what with all the `people only use 10% of their brains` nonsense movies that have come out.
      - njarboe 7y ago
        So they could have a dramatic scene where Laurence Fishburne can explain the situation by holding up a Duracell looking battery.
  - imron 7y ago
bitwize 7y ago
Your thermostat overhears you questioning the wisdom of starting kids on gender transition at elementary school age. You are deemed a transphobe and in violation of the Nest Terms of Service, and your heating system immediately shuts down. You are given an email contact address at which to file an appeal. Your appeal is rejected. Have a nice winter.
- fungicide 7y ago
  Not that there's anything wrong with that.
ASalazarMX 7y ago
Reminded me of Phillip K. Dick's "Ubik", where the door refuses to open for free: The door refused to open. It said, "Five cents, please." He searched his pockets. No more coins; nothing. "I'll pay you tomorrow," he told the door. Again it remained locked tight. "What I pay you," he informed it, "is in the nature of a gratuity; I don't have to pay you." "I think otherwise," the door said. "Look in the purchase contract you signed when you bought this conapt." ...he found the contract. Sure enough; payment to his door for opening and shutting constituted a mandatory fee. Not a tip. "You discover I'm right," the door said. It sounded smug.
- dsr_ 7y ago
  The unbelievable part is that he could find the contract.
  - Wistar 7y ago
    ... especially while locked out.
    - arnarbi 7y ago
      Why? I can pull up most of my documents from past few years on my mobile phone. And that’s not even fiction.
    - faleidel 7y ago
      If I recall right he was locked inside, not outside.
      - ASalazarMX 7y ago
        That was the most kafkian aspect. How could he earn more money to pay the door if it locked him inside? In another instance, the door also didn't want to let him in without paying.
    - ASalazarMX 7y ago
      A little late, but here's the rest of the quote. He was locked in. From the drawer beside the sink Joe Chip got a stainless steel knife; with it he began systematically to unscrew the bolt assembly of his apt’s money-gulping door. “I’ll sue you,” the door said as the first screw fell out. Joe Chip said, “I’ve never been sued by a door. But I guess I can live through it.”
api 7y ago
There's a real "banality of evil" aspect to this: we are building the infrastructure of a future hellish totalitarian dystopia to get people to click annoying ads and to squeeze tiny amounts of revenue from customers.
deleted 7y ago
[deleted]

deleted 7y ago

[deleted]

justAnotherNET 7y ago

1984 imagined a horrific world where the government forced you to install listening devices in your home. Meanwhile in 2020 we purchase them ourselves because we don’t want to flip light switches.

planetzero 7y ago
That's why the message from Fahrenheit 451 was more apt to 2020: It's not the government that creates a dystopian future, it's us.
blaser-waffle 7y ago
Brave New World is probably a better dystopian comparison than 1984. More "oppression-by-comfort" than "boot-on-face-forever".
- ghostcluster 7y ago
  Every time Orwell's 1984 is mentioned on the Internet it gets this exact followup comment about Brave New World. Not saying it's wrong, but this is just some kind of law of internet discussions.
  - markdown 7y ago
    ghostcluster's law.
  - pmiller2 7y ago
    IMO, that's because the world is headed toward a techno-dystopia that lies somewhere between 1984 and Brave New World.
    - deleted 7y ago
      [deleted]
  - polynomial 7y ago
    Postman's Law.
- pixl97 7y ago
  Oppression by comfort comes first, oppression by boot comes second after you decide the comfort isnt worth it.
  - bittercynic 7y ago
    It's much cheaper that way. If most fall in line in exchange for comfort, you don't need to pay for nearly as many boots on faces.
    - Razengan 7y ago
      Until you have robot armies you don’t need to pay, period.
- api 7y ago
  I've heard it put this way: the dystopia we're building is Brave New World unless you truly get in the way, in which case it rapidly becomes 1984.
jimmaswell 7y ago
The government at least ostensibly needs a warrant to access your communications to a smart device. Mandatory government surveillance and opt-in convenience products are not on the same plane.

voodooranger 7y ago

If your fridge were really smart it would infer both your household’s disposable income and technical acumen based on its location and overheard conversations then tailor prices, failures, and replacement policies accordingly.

makapuf 7y ago
If it were real smart it would make you believe you are not technically able to refute its argument about needing maintenance.
- dvtrn 7y ago
  Ah yes, the KantKooler 2000: Can you really be sure the chicken is thawing if you've never eaten chicken a priori?
TeMPOraL 7y ago
Of course it does that. That feature was debuted around 2024, and was present in most mainstream household appliances by 2029.
lostlogin 7y ago
Isn’t that already in place in a more benign form? Many appliances come out under multiple brands with different skins, badges and prices. This also applies to bigger purchases like cars.

Razengan 7y ago

Just make us meat batteries and plug us into the Matrix already.

netsharc 7y ago
Which is a part of The Matrix story that doesn't make sense... It would've made more sense to say that they were using the human brains as CPUs, so conciously the humans were living in society, but sub/unconciously they were performing calculations for "the machines". Which would open up an interesting plot, if the machines' (AI) "consciousness" ran on our brains and they didn't have their own hardware CPUs, would that make the humans the machines? Or would the program be seen like a computer virus?
- Rebelgecko 7y ago
  Originally, in earlier versions of the script the humans were used as CPUs. IIRC the studio made the Wachowskis change to using humans for power generation.
  - dajohnson89 7y ago
    what do you think motivated that change?
    - reificator 7y ago
      They didn't think audiences were ready to view the brain as a computer. I disagree, but 20+ years later I don't think it would even be an issue, what with all the `people only use 10% of their brains` nonsense movies that have come out.
    - njarboe 7y ago
      So they could have a dramatic scene where Laurence Fishburne can explain the situation by holding up a Duracell looking battery.
- imron 7y ago

bitwize 7y ago

Your thermostat overhears you questioning the wisdom of starting kids on gender transition at elementary school age. You are deemed a transphobe and in violation of the Nest Terms of Service, and your heating system immediately shuts down. You are given an email contact address at which to file an appeal. Your appeal is rejected. Have a nice winter.

fungicide 7y ago
Not that there's anything wrong with that.

ASalazarMX 7y ago

Reminded me of Phillip K. Dick's "Ubik", where the door refuses to open for free: The door refused to open. It said, "Five cents, please." He searched his pockets. No more coins; nothing. "I'll pay you tomorrow," he told the door. Again it remained locked tight. "What I pay you," he informed it, "is in the nature of a gratuity; I don't have to pay you." "I think otherwise," the door said. "Look in the purchase contract you signed when you bought this conapt." ...he found the contract. Sure enough; payment to his door for opening and shutting constituted a mandatory fee. Not a tip. "You discover I'm right," the door said. It sounded smug.

dsr_ 7y ago
The unbelievable part is that he could find the contract.
- Wistar 7y ago
  ... especially while locked out.
  - arnarbi 7y ago
    Why? I can pull up most of my documents from past few years on my mobile phone. And that’s not even fiction.
  - faleidel 7y ago
    If I recall right he was locked inside, not outside.
    - ASalazarMX 7y ago
      That was the most kafkian aspect. How could he earn more money to pay the door if it locked him inside? In another instance, the door also didn't want to let him in without paying.
  - ASalazarMX 7y ago
    A little late, but here's the rest of the quote. He was locked in. From the drawer beside the sink Joe Chip got a stainless steel knife; with it he began systematically to unscrew the bolt assembly of his apt’s money-gulping door. “I’ll sue you,” the door said as the first screw fell out. Joe Chip said, “I’ve never been sued by a door. But I guess I can live through it.”

api 7y ago

There's a real "banality of evil" aspect to this: we are building the infrastructure of a future hellish totalitarian dystopia to get people to click annoying ads and to squeeze tiny amounts of revenue from customers.

deleted 7y ago

[deleted]