Artificial intelligence officially gets scary

[Clinamenic]

Ah good point, didn’t consider that. You think that may make us complacent in critical areas? Or that our abilities may atrophy over the course of generations?

 

[vimothy]

what does its influence imply? the increasing mechanisation of culture

 

[Clinamenic]

Yeah certain aspects of cultural production becoming automated, following in the footsteps of mechanical production.

 

[Clinamenic]

I also think this all tends to make people more neurotic and alienated, which I think may be the worst side effect exhibited so far. Think of all those mass shooters, and, I suspect, higher suicide rates.

 

[Clinamenic]

Societal growing pains, I suspect, which isn’t to downplay the severity.

 

[vimothy]

automation is the hidden reality of AI

 

[Mr. Tea]

Fusion is around the corner, and a post-fusion world, energy will be too cheap to meter.

Somebody's still gotta pay the software developers though. Are you gonna shell out for subscriptions to all your sites? Or get into microtransactions? Money's gotta come from somewhere; people don't work for free

Fusion power has - as the saying goes - been "40 years away" for the last 40 years.

 

[...]

I wish I'd thought of getting Vim back on Team GB to ouflank the Yank Nerdonauts but now it's happening I'm just happy it is

 

[sus]

Fusion power has - as the saying goes - been "40 years away" for the last 40 years.

There've been significant technical breakthroughs of late; billions of dollars in investment are getting thrown at front-runners right now; one company is projecting 3-5 years out from fusion, another 10-15 years. There could be meaningful obstacles we don't know about yet, but the situation has substantial changed from even five or ten years ago.

 

[Clinamenic]

Also fusion (iter) is the biggest monument to global scientific cooperation ever, to my knowledge.

 

[...]

Also fusion (iter) is the biggest monument to global scientific cooperation ever, to my knowledge.

 

[Clinamenic]

Dope.

 

[Mr. Tea]

There've been significant technical breakthroughs of late; billions of dollars in investment are getting thrown at front-runners right now; one company is projecting 3-5 years out from fusion, another 10-15 years. There could be meaningful obstacles we don't know about yet, but the situation has substantial changed from even five or ten years ago.

I'm aware that big leaps have been made, but nonetheless, it's a field with a long history of breathless claims about a commercially viable product being "just around the corner."

So yeah, never say never - but I'll believe it can be done when it's, you know, done.

 

[Mr. Tea]

Competition more than cooperation in that case, isn't it?

 

[Clinamenic]

A great deal of effort goes into managing the information people are exposed to and establishing the terms of public debate.

I believe you, and I believe I’m only aware of a small part of this. But unless there is a superhuman cabal that has throughly brainwashed the majority of public officials and private executives, I’m not so inclined to fear this.

But to your point, most people would seem utterly unprepared to defend themselves against these efforts or even recognize them, and I think this is the central reason for concern.

 

[Clinamenic]

But my initial point remains, that I am not concerned, for the immediate future, that my own access to information or ability to practice free thought are in non-trivial jeopardy.

 

[Clinamenic]

I don’t think there is a unified agenda between these people though. And I think Congress here, albeit imperfectly, is often times enough of a buffer.

 

[Clinamenic]

I think the wealthier someone is, the more pressure they put on themselves and their subordinates to protect that wealth, and I think this pressure tends to compromise their minds, in terms of relating to and sympathizing with non-wealthy people.

But I don’t think of them as people who live and breathe total control, only insofar as it can be profitable without incurring excessive liabilities.

 

[Clinamenic]

They don't have to be entirely unified, just in agreement that the general public are a threat to be managed.

This is think is a perfectly reasonable perspective, that many of the top executives tend to view works as “costs to be minimized” and should be expected to act accordingly unless forced or incentives to act otherwise.

 

[Leo]

I wish I'd thought of getting Vim back on Team GB to ouflank the Yank Nerdonauts but now it's happening I'm just happy it is

I think he can take them single-handedly.