Tech CEOs want us to believe that generative AI will benefit humanity. They are kidding themselves

  • alexdoom@beehaw.org
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    1 year ago

    The chance of Fossil Fuels causing human extinction carries a much higher chance, yet the news cycle is saturated with fears that a predictive language model is going to make calculators crave human flesh. Wtf is happening

    • exohuman@kbin.socialOP
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      1 year ago

      I agree that climate change should be our main concern. The real existential risk of AI is that it will cause millions of people to not have work or be underemployed, greatly multiplying the already huge lower class. With that many people unable to take care of themselves and their family, it will make conditions ripe for all of the bad parts of humanity to take over unless we have a major shift away from the current model of capitalism. AI would be the initial spark that starts this but it will be human behavior that dooms (or elevates) humans as a result.

      The AI apocalypse won’t look like Terminator, it will look like the collapse of an empire and it will happen everywhere that there isn’t sufficient social and political change all at once.

      • alexdoom@beehaw.org
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        1 year ago

        I dont disagree with you, but this is a big issue with technological advancements in general. Whether AI replaces workers or automated factories, the effects are the same. We dont need to boogeyman AI to drive policy changes that protect the majority of the population. Just frustrated with AI scares dominating the news cycle while completely missing the bigger picture.

        • cnnrduncan@beehaw.org
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          1 year ago

          Yeah - green energy puts coal miners and oil drillers out of work (as the right likes to constantly remind us) but that doesn’t make green energy evil or not worth pursuing, it just means that we need stronger social programs. Same with AI in my opinion - the potential benefits far outweigh the harm if we actually adequately support those whose jobs are replaced by new tech.