wastedtime32 OP t1_j8trcmc wrote on February 16, 2023 at 9:59 PM

Reply to comment by RiotNrrd2001 in What will the singularity mean? Why are we persuing it? by wastedtime32

I don’t want a static world. But even at my young age I’ve become jaded and I know how this technology will be exploited. The vision of those who are creating it will not be how it turns out. The “problems” you refer to have a lot to do with modern technology. I’m not necessarily a decelerationist, but I don’t see how diving in even deeper is going to help us. I agree this is a reckoning point in human history, but I think we need to STOP going in the direction we have been and find a new one. AI is the next step on that road and I see nothing but trouble. It all seems so misguided to me. But then again, all this tech is simply the product of market competition. It’s designed for a certain task, it’s in its nature. I say fuck that nature, we need to embrace the real one. That doesn’t mean primitivism. It means we use tech to peruse human desires, but within an ethical framework compatible with the natural world.

RiotNrrd2001 t1_j8tuud6 wrote on February 16, 2023 at 10:21 PM

What you've said is true about ALL new technologies.

More people were killed by motorcars than by buggies; obviously the internal combustion engine was a mistake. Airplanes can crash from great heights: mankind obviously wasn't meant for altitudes in excess of the nearest climbable mountain, and ALSO: bombs. And no one was ever electrocuted until mass electrification occurred; piping lightning directly into our homes is just asking for fires.

Movies are awesome! Also, they can be used for mass propaganda. As can that dang printing press. No printing presses, no Mein Kampf, so maybe that ought to be looked into.

My point is that yes, all new technology has a potential for causing damage and for being misused. We should definitely be conscious of those things. But that doesn't mean we need to stop development. What we need to be is aware.