I watch a fair few Youtube Video Essays and one thing I notice is that there is quite a discontent with AI. Unfortunately there is a lot of preaching to the ch

I watch a fair few Youtube Video Essays and one thing I notice is that there is quite a discontent with AI. Unfortunately there is a lot of preaching to the choir and not enough making a case. Nevertheless that discontent itself is a signal, and I think this article touches on why. People are quite disillusioned. There is growing wealth inequality, political division, Dark patterns (which should simply be called abusive software). We now have a generation that does not expect to ever own a home. You often hear the term now "Late Stage Capitalism" Which while admittedly was a clever term of speech when it was originated, has become a lazy expression of nihilism. It evokes the idea of capitalism as a cancer at a stage where the symptoms are obvious and debilitating, but also that it is at a point of no return and that it will kill itself and its host and there is nothing that can be done. I rarely hear a detailed complaint about the problems of AI without the phrase "Late Stage Capitalism" cropping up. The irony is, of course, that the devices, platforms, and information used to express these ideas were in a large part due to innovations that were enabled by a capitalist economy. I think without the anger and frustration of their current situation, many of those railing against capitalism would admit that what they would like is a well regulated socialist/capitalist system. Something that works for society but affords people the means to innovate. The problem for AI is that people fear that the empowering capabilities will go to the already powerful. As with wealth inequality, the expectation is that the power distribution of AI will also be unequal. There are numerous other complaints about various aspects of AI, but I feel like these are things that should be argued individually but are often too heavily influenced by the issues above.