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I'm sure many aristocrats would have framed the revolutions against them this way. And if you are willing to look at it from the right angle a great many revolu

I'm sure many aristocrats would have framed the revolutions against them this way. And if you are willing to look at it from the right angle a great many revolutions throughout history come down to more or less this. You can claim it's not right, but there's right and there's the reality of human nature. Push the populace hard enough they WILL push back.

im3w1l 3y ago
Soon the elite will have amassed enough power through technology that they could put down any revolution. This terrifies me tbh. The most dangerous innovation in this regard is advances in brain scanning is it could make it trivially easy to find the resistance. But robots and AI are factors too. If the rich don't need the labor of the poor it will certainly shift the balance of power.
- darrenringstadt 3y ago
  Even one where we just unplug the machines we have? There are only 1 million sworn LEO in the US, and they work for a paycheck, not loyalty to Jamie Dimon and company. You think those cops are going to bat for former oligarchs versus a population with 3 guns per adult at ready?
- jrumbut 3y ago
  > most dangerous innovation in this regard is advances in brain scanning What terrifies me more than the idea of brain scanning that works is the (IMO more likely) deployment of "brain scanning" that doesn't work (but is used anyway) and creating a 21st century witch hunt. AI is very impressive, but people are getting so used to it performing magic that they believe it can do anything while preserving the veneer of objectivity that algorithms earned in the pre-ML days.
  - revolvingocelot 3y ago
    It won't matter if the "brain scanning" actually works or not. Examining the history and effectiveness of polygraphs is enlightening -- even now, polygraphs are used as though they are effective, and in a different light, are an example of an intimidation tactic.
  - nickfromseattle 3y ago
    LLMs have led to significant advancements in brain scanning. [0] [0]https://www.reddit.com/r/ChatGPT/comments/1354ju1/scientists_use_gpt_llm_to_passively_decode_human/ https://www.reddit.com/r/ChatGPT/comments/1354ju1/scientists...
- sangnoir 3y ago
  > Soon the elite will have amassed enough power through technology that they could put down any revolution. As long as the elite still need other lower-class humans, e.g. chauffeurs, nannies and cooks, or security, the revolution can still get to them. If the chaos so many rich preppers are gearing for comes to pass - their wealth won't protect them. As this[0] article points out: in an apocalypse, there will be nothing stopping their armed ex-special-forces security guards from taking over their New Zealand compounds and throwing them out - or worse. Their status as elites is preserved by the very institutions they are undermining. 0. https://www.theguardian.com/news/2022/sep/04/super-rich-prepper-bunkers-apocalypse-survival-richest-rushkoff https://www.theguardian.com/news/2022/sep/04/super-rich-prep...
  - JumpCrisscross 3y ago
    > long as the elite still need other lower-class humans, e.g. chauffeurs, nannies and cooks, or security Isn’t this the point of the fears of AI and automation? A truly sovereign individual, singular, against all others.
    - htag 3y ago
      If AI and Automation make it so things like nutrition, traveling, security, and shelter don't require humans than wouldn't that mean it's easier to provide these basics to everyone?
      - JumpCrisscross 3y ago
        Power tends to concentrate. As democracy had to force itself into existence, so will horizontal AI. The natural condition is automated dictatorship.
      - heavyset_go 3y ago
        The people who own the automation are not interested in sharing. If the choice was between providing basics for others or letting them die in the streets, they'll choose the latter. It's a choice that plays out everyday.

im3w1l 3y ago

Soon the elite will have amassed enough power through technology that they could put down any revolution. This terrifies me tbh. The most dangerous innovation in this regard is advances in brain scanning is it could make it trivially easy to find the resistance. But robots and AI are factors too. If the rich don't need the labor of the poor it will certainly shift the balance of power.

darrenringstadt 3y ago
Even one where we just unplug the machines we have? There are only 1 million sworn LEO in the US, and they work for a paycheck, not loyalty to Jamie Dimon and company. You think those cops are going to bat for former oligarchs versus a population with 3 guns per adult at ready?
jrumbut 3y ago
> most dangerous innovation in this regard is advances in brain scanning What terrifies me more than the idea of brain scanning that works is the (IMO more likely) deployment of "brain scanning" that doesn't work (but is used anyway) and creating a 21st century witch hunt. AI is very impressive, but people are getting so used to it performing magic that they believe it can do anything while preserving the veneer of objectivity that algorithms earned in the pre-ML days.
- revolvingocelot 3y ago
  It won't matter if the "brain scanning" actually works or not. Examining the history and effectiveness of polygraphs is enlightening -- even now, polygraphs are used as though they are effective, and in a different light, are an example of an intimidation tactic.
- nickfromseattle 3y ago
  LLMs have led to significant advancements in brain scanning. [0] [0]https://www.reddit.com/r/ChatGPT/comments/1354ju1/scientists_use_gpt_llm_to_passively_decode_human/ https://www.reddit.com/r/ChatGPT/comments/1354ju1/scientists...
sangnoir 3y ago
> Soon the elite will have amassed enough power through technology that they could put down any revolution. As long as the elite still need other lower-class humans, e.g. chauffeurs, nannies and cooks, or security, the revolution can still get to them. If the chaos so many rich preppers are gearing for comes to pass - their wealth won't protect them. As this[0] article points out: in an apocalypse, there will be nothing stopping their armed ex-special-forces security guards from taking over their New Zealand compounds and throwing them out - or worse. Their status as elites is preserved by the very institutions they are undermining. 0. https://www.theguardian.com/news/2022/sep/04/super-rich-prepper-bunkers-apocalypse-survival-richest-rushkoff https://www.theguardian.com/news/2022/sep/04/super-rich-prep...
- JumpCrisscross 3y ago
  > long as the elite still need other lower-class humans, e.g. chauffeurs, nannies and cooks, or security Isn’t this the point of the fears of AI and automation? A truly sovereign individual, singular, against all others.
  - htag 3y ago
    If AI and Automation make it so things like nutrition, traveling, security, and shelter don't require humans than wouldn't that mean it's easier to provide these basics to everyone?
    - JumpCrisscross 3y ago
      Power tends to concentrate. As democracy had to force itself into existence, so will horizontal AI. The natural condition is automated dictatorship.
    - heavyset_go 3y ago
      The people who own the automation are not interested in sharing. If the choice was between providing basics for others or letting them die in the streets, they'll choose the latter. It's a choice that plays out everyday.