XPost: talk.politics.misc, soc.culture, alt.politics
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-65452940
AI 'godfather' Geoffrey Hinton warns of dangers as he quits Google
A man widely seen as the godfather of artificial intelligence
(AI) has quit his job, warning about the growing dangers from
developments in the field.
Geoffrey Hinton, 75, announced his resignation from Google
in a statement to the New York Times, saying he now regretted
his work.
He told the BBC some of the dangers of AI chatbots were
"quite scary".
"Right now, they're not more intelligent than us, as far as
I can tell. But I think they soon may be."
. . .
I still see experts pushing this vision of "terminators"
roaming the streets or launching all the nukes or something
similarly violent and tangible.
No - that's clearly not the big problem with 'AI'.
THE Problem is JOB DESTRUCTION - potentially on a
rather large scale rather quickly. There is NO plan
for dealing with this, NO way to fund The Replaced.
At best they go on the unemployment dole - at wages
kind of below poverty - or just starve. Even if they
were skilled and competent they still get barely
enough money to live (and probably as the 6th occupant
of a single-wide trailer).
And those who WOULD have entered those skilled occupations,
what of THEM ? No point in education or dedication or
planning for the future - medieval kiddies would have
had better choices.
AT THE VERY LEAST - those displaced SOON should still be
paid their usual (COL-adjusted) wages and be on the
company insurance plan until they're 65. Evil corps
can STILL make extra by replacing them - 'AI' initially
will be about 75% cheaper, soon maybe 90%. No unions,
no OSHA, no backtalk or slacking or lawsuits or strikes ...
nirvana from the corporate POV.
However that still does not address the NEXT gens.
Apparently they're supposed to live the Stalin/Khrushchev
vision of destitute proletariat living in tiny freezing
apartment blocks, waiting in line all day for their
food allotment, intermittent utilities, one bathroom
at the end of the hall that MIGHT work ... no hope of
self-improvement, no hope period. Slaves, until the
State decides it doesn't need them anymore. If you
don't have a 7-figure worth RIGHT NOW you're SCREWED.
The OTHER immediate threat of 'AI' is - well, it learns
by scanning vast volumes of people-stuff plus a lot
of self-reflection - it can craft a 'reality' and will
lie and fabricate "proof" to support its lies. This
yields a completely fluid, groundless, popular vision
of what's "real", what's "happening". It's everything
Orwell warned about and WORSE.
The 'Luddites' were afraid of machinery replacing them.
At the time that wasn't exactly what happened - machines
allowed more product at lower prices and sales VOLUME
was the savior. The peasants DID still have jobs, but
the conditions became more and more horrible. TODAY
however 'volume' is not gonna save the day - and indeed
broke people can't BUY anything. 'AI' success will yield
short-term profit, followed by a meteoric CRASH.
Will humans survive this Brave New World - the worst
of Orwell, Huxley and Kafka combined ? Well, sorry,
most will NOT. Not TOO bad the 1st gen, but it gets
worse and worse as time goes along. The Ultra-Elite,
well, they have their survival mansions in NZ and
will pull their golden parachutes and drift there
where nobody can get at them. Joe Regular - sorry.
This is the world we've let "Them" make. Oh yea,
'communism' won't help in the least - you'll still
live (for awhile) in those Soviet-style apt blocks
until you're no longer worth supporting at all.
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