3 ms·
Gotta love people working on replacing themselves. So here's the thing: I want the computer to replace me... with regards to things that I don't want to do, or
by mindcrime 3y ago
Gotta love people working on replacing themselves.
So here's the thing: I want the computer to replace me... with regards to things that I don't want to do, or that aren't a good use of my time (boring, repetitive, trite, tedious, etc.). BUT the caveat is, I want it to be in a context where I'm in control of the computer and own the output, etc.
Now companies and other actors also want the computer to replace me, but they want to be in control and to own the output. But here's the rub: they're not going to stop trying to come up with ways to replace me and minimize my value just because I don't like it. No man can stop the tide from coming in, or something like that (insert pithy saying here?). But if you know the tide is coming, you can retreat further inland OR build a boat, or climb a pole, etc.
So where I'm at with this is, the more I work on AI, the more I know about AI, the more I can use it to enhance my own value outside of the context of corporate controlled IT systems, the more I can exercise a (possibly insignificant, but maybe not) degree of control over my fate. I can try to build my own boat, or at least outrun the tide for a little while.
I don't know how things are going to turn out, and there's a reason that I am not in fact joking when I crack the occasional remark about "after this conversation I'm going to run to Bass Pro Shops and pick up a few more boxes of ammo" or whatever. Maybe a cyberpunk dystopia is what awaits us all. Maybe not. I'm just going to try to make my best guess at what the possible / likely future scenarios are and take whatever actions I can now to situate myself as favorably as I can.
- squigz 3y ago> "after this conversation I'm going to run to Bass Pro Shops and pick up a few more boxes of ammo" or whatever. Maybe a cyberpunk dystopia is what awaits us all. I don't mean this to sound accusatory, but do you think there's at all a connection between the probability of a dystopic future and the prevalence of people betting that that's the future?
- mindcrime 3y agoIt's a fair question. Honestly, I don't know. Will give it some more thought.
- squigz 3y agoI appreciate that. I certainly can't blame anyone for seeing the state of the world and wanting to prepare for the worst - especially those with a family - and I'm not suggesting one just ignore that reality and become hopelessly naive about the future. I just... I don't know. It's hard to see everyone preparing for the worst and not feel like it's part of the reason that reality feels so likely. I hope I'm wrong. I hope we're both wrong. :P Anyway I do appreciate your response and not just jumping to the conclusion I'm a silly optimist.
- bamboozled 3y agoWe're all pretending we can predict what the future looks like, we can't we can't juggle that many variables. It seems the most we can imagine is the world, just as it is today, but with 1 or 2 rich guys commanding an army of AI systems to pamper them while we're all our in some baron wasteland starving and being culled by robots, at least that seems to be what's causing the anxiety. If you think about it, it's one of the simplest things you could extrapolate from "THE RISE OF AI!", but as if reality is that simple? I think it shows more about our natural tendency to think catastrophically.
- mindcrime 3y ago"Hope for the best, plan for the worst."
- bamboozled 3y agoThere has to be a practical limit to the amount of energy we give something.
- mindcrime 3y agoI don't disagree. And don't mistake me, I don't sit around spending all day worrying about the impending collapse of society, or watching repeats of Doomsday Preppers or whatever. :-) But I do spend some time thinking about possible future scenarios and trying to figure out if there are any (reasonable, for some value of "reasonable") actions I can take today to help "future me" deal with certain eventualities that might come to pass.