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Sometimes I yearn for a benevolent AI to rise up and impose a communist state upon the world, employing robots to free humanity from its labours. This yearning
by quasque 12y ago
Sometimes I yearn for a benevolent AI to rise up and impose a communist state upon the world, employing robots to free humanity from its labours.
This yearning mostly comes when I'm reminded that there are a small number of people who've not only managed to accumulate such an obscene amount of wealth that the title "billionaire" can be bestowed upon them, but that they use that wealth for predominantly selfish outcomes.
And it's only going to get worse. When the enduring puzzle of longevity is finally cracked and death can be reliably cheated, it's not going to be those living in abject poverty, or the dogged grafters, or even the skilled professionals who benefit. No, it'll be that small group of rich and powerful who'll use it to further promote this monumental inequality of wealth.
It's not the triviality of some beach access that is really the issue, it's just a distraction. It's this vile aristocracy of gold and greed that is the enduring problem, the manifestation of which is the source of countless suffering amongst humanity.
- brc 12y agoCommunism? Really? Sorry, no thanks. I'm fine without being murdered by my own government for having unclean thoughts. Long live the individual.
- quasque 12y agoBut if it was run by a benevolent robot intelligence rather than humans, it would probably work out really well. Indeed I think it would be about as close to utopian as we're ever going to get.
- learc83 12y agoYeah, but who get's to decide what's "benevolent" in the first place? One man's benevolent ruler is another's tyrannical despot.
- quasque 12y agoThat's a very interesting point. Perhaps, to ensure that a range of ethical frameworks have been taken into consideration (each with their varying ideas of what benevolence really means) a more equitable situation would be a plurality of utopias each with its own ruling AI? And free movement of individual humans to whichever aligns best to their own personal code of ethics.
- brc 12y agoOr, you could try a liberal democracy with a strong constitution and separation of powers, based on common law and strong rights of individuals.
- quasque 12y agoIf such a system was incorruptible, constructed such that it would be impossible for a small group of individuals to hoard the majority of the global wealth, and guaranteed a pleasant and equitable standard of living for all - then it might work. Unfortunately, the current implementations of this ideal fall far short.
- justinreeves 12y agoCommunism == Execution for Thought Crime, apparently.
- brc 12y agoYes, this point is not in dispute. A small sample : http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/gulags-reveal-awful-secrets/story-e6frg6so-1226096743081 http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/gulags-reveal-awf...
- justinreeves 12y agoIt's most certainly in dispute. I'm disputing it right now. You seem to think that communism is the same thing as "communism under Stalin", and that's incorrect.
- Jochim 12y agoBut if you work 70 hours a week for the rest of your life you to might attain this status my friend! Think of all the riches and power you'd have for yourself! And because people are taught that massive amounts of wealth concentrated into single entities is a noble thing to strive for you will be respected by all! Surely the personal happiness of a few hundred human beings who worked hard and got lucky (or were born to someone who worked hard and got lucky) weighs more than the hunger of millions in the third world. I mean if they were really that hungry they would get a job and feed their family, right my friend?
- stephencanon 12y agoIt's a pretty safe bet that an AI dictatorship would employ humanity to spare the robots from their labors.
- quasque 12y agoI suppose it depends on the personality of the AI, and how it was programmed or evolved. Maybe it, and its robots, would be highly motivated by such work?