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>can be improved closer to global parity by importing competent murder bots I remember various people writing about the ebbs and flows of centralized oppressiv

>can be improved closer to global parity by importing competent murder bots I remember various people writing about the ebbs and flows of centralized oppressive government and attributing it to the type of weapon that's prevalent and the support system it requires. George Orwell writing just after WWII was very apprehensive about more than just the atomic bomb per se, but by the idea that the best weapons available would be only available through massive industrial projects of the largest governments and therefore all the greatest despotisms would be able to survive indefinitely. Your comment also reminds me of reading somewhere a long time ago how the US having a decent phone system left it with a lot of copper infrastructure that held things back, whereas some countries that have been much poorer in the past went directly to cellular - thus in general wealth implies early adoption and possibly too much investment in immature tech.

dirtyid 6y ago
I think competent AI weapons will dramatically reduce barriers to projecting and holding power by smaller ruling cohorts, less dependence on training massive armed forces and retaining their loyalty. Both extremely difficult and expensive institution problems versus importing a bunch of DRM murder bots a medium sized country can't manufacture, or just receiving some in form of aid from a larger power in exchange for client status. Don't piss off benefactors or DRM transfers to more compliant political faction. >too much investment in immature tech Or research into paradigms shifting tech negates moat of old advantages. Russians good at antiair because US would not want to invent tech that would erode US air supremacy. Kind of how UK lost naval gap due to dreadnaught reset. I can imagine AI air planes undermining US air / naval superiority balance. Lots of obsolete hardware and training if a fleet of drones become smart enough to penetrate a carrier group. Perhaps it may even be sensible not to pursue / start arms race if it means undermining decades of expensive acquisitions and expertise. Or at least have enough security to ensure adversaries don't acquire kryptonite of your own making.

dirtyid 6y ago

I think competent AI weapons will dramatically reduce barriers to projecting and holding power by smaller ruling cohorts, less dependence on training massive armed forces and retaining their loyalty. Both extremely difficult and expensive institution problems versus importing a bunch of DRM murder bots a medium sized country can't manufacture, or just receiving some in form of aid from a larger power in exchange for client status. Don't piss off benefactors or DRM transfers to more compliant political faction. >too much investment in immature tech Or research into paradigms shifting tech negates moat of old advantages. Russians good at antiair because US would not want to invent tech that would erode US air supremacy. Kind of how UK lost naval gap due to dreadnaught reset. I can imagine AI air planes undermining US air / naval superiority balance. Lots of obsolete hardware and training if a fleet of drones become smart enough to penetrate a carrier group. Perhaps it may even be sensible not to pursue / start arms race if it means undermining decades of expensive acquisitions and expertise. Or at least have enough security to ensure adversaries don't acquire kryptonite of your own making.