3 ms·

I expect that as the Jackpot progresses, we'll see a lot more people dying of dysexistential syndrome, even making up a substantial proportion of the death toll

I expect that as the Jackpot progresses, we'll see a lot more people dying of dysexistential syndrome, even making up a substantial proportion of the death toll from climate-related disasters, crop failures, pandemics, and wars.

rob_c 5y ago
You mean someone can die from turning themselves into a nervous wreck?... Someone phone Hollywood I've got a plot idea!
- bjt2n3904 5y ago
  Legitimately, this seems to be the result of MSNBC/CNN/FOX. A persistent source of existential anxiety. I'm not even sure that's their intention -- maybe it is. But it's certainly the result.
  - rob_c 5y ago
    Yeah, fear sells unfortunately
  - jerf 5y ago
    At this point, it is their intention whether it is or not, because they can't be unaware of their effect.
anotherman554 5y ago
For anyone who doesn't follow I assume your reference to the "Jackpot" is a reference to the William Gibson novel "The peripheral" and its sequel where a vague, not disclosed to the reader series of disasters wipes out most of Earth's population in the 21st century. In the novels human society seems to have gotten too complex to be run by humans without such disasters. The only solution may be to create benevolent A.I. to run things for us.
- NoGravitas 5y ago
  Mmmh, no, the Jackpot (in the Peripheral) was mostly climate-related, not due to excessive social complexity. The series of disasters is left vague because no one disaster by itself was very important. AI isn't very important to the story, either; the post-Jackpot society is run by kleptocrats.
  - anotherman554 5y ago
    I'm pretty confident they never indicate The Jackpot is mostly climate related in The Peripheral. It's a number of vague things like disease and climate change and war-- not any single thing. Also there's a review of the second book in the series, Agency, which convincingly argues the theme of the latter book is, given increasing human social complexity, we need an A.I. to tell us what to do. I think it was this review that I read which argues it: https://www.lareviewofbooks.org/article/how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love-a-superintelligent-ai-on-wiliam-gibsons-agency/ https://www.lareviewofbooks.org/article/how-i-learned-to-sto... "What we lack in the present moment is what Fredric Jameson called a cognitive map of the world. Such a map would be a guide to our world’s vast, ever-increasing complexity, so that reality might again be grasped and understood. This is what Eunice provides. She supplements human consciousness with the ability to understand our immense world and thus act intelligently within it. Finally, here is someone who knows what she’s doing. In this sense, superintelligent AI is a huge relief." Also, per the second book kleptocrats aren't really running things, the A.I. enhanced "post human" character Lowbeer is the only one keeping things stable. She can expand her lifespan through technology for a while but not indefinitely. When she's gone one day things are bound to get ugly. Even in the first book The Peripheral it's pretty clear the Kleptocrats are using predictive A.I. to prevent any threats to their power.

rob_c 5y ago

You mean someone can die from turning themselves into a nervous wreck?... Someone phone Hollywood I've got a plot idea!

bjt2n3904 5y ago
Legitimately, this seems to be the result of MSNBC/CNN/FOX. A persistent source of existential anxiety. I'm not even sure that's their intention -- maybe it is. But it's certainly the result.
- rob_c 5y ago
  Yeah, fear sells unfortunately
- jerf 5y ago
  At this point, it is their intention whether it is or not, because they can't be unaware of their effect.

anotherman554 5y ago

For anyone who doesn't follow I assume your reference to the "Jackpot" is a reference to the William Gibson novel "The peripheral" and its sequel where a vague, not disclosed to the reader series of disasters wipes out most of Earth's population in the 21st century. In the novels human society seems to have gotten too complex to be run by humans without such disasters. The only solution may be to create benevolent A.I. to run things for us.

NoGravitas 5y ago
Mmmh, no, the Jackpot (in the Peripheral) was mostly climate-related, not due to excessive social complexity. The series of disasters is left vague because no one disaster by itself was very important. AI isn't very important to the story, either; the post-Jackpot society is run by kleptocrats.
- anotherman554 5y ago
  I'm pretty confident they never indicate The Jackpot is mostly climate related in The Peripheral. It's a number of vague things like disease and climate change and war-- not any single thing. Also there's a review of the second book in the series, Agency, which convincingly argues the theme of the latter book is, given increasing human social complexity, we need an A.I. to tell us what to do. I think it was this review that I read which argues it: https://www.lareviewofbooks.org/article/how-i-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love-a-superintelligent-ai-on-wiliam-gibsons-agency/ https://www.lareviewofbooks.org/article/how-i-learned-to-sto... "What we lack in the present moment is what Fredric Jameson called a cognitive map of the world. Such a map would be a guide to our world’s vast, ever-increasing complexity, so that reality might again be grasped and understood. This is what Eunice provides. She supplements human consciousness with the ability to understand our immense world and thus act intelligently within it. Finally, here is someone who knows what she’s doing. In this sense, superintelligent AI is a huge relief." Also, per the second book kleptocrats aren't really running things, the A.I. enhanced "post human" character Lowbeer is the only one keeping things stable. She can expand her lifespan through technology for a while but not indefinitely. When she's gone one day things are bound to get ugly. Even in the first book The Peripheral it's pretty clear the Kleptocrats are using predictive A.I. to prevent any threats to their power.