You are 100% correct, Émile! I look forward to reading your upcoming book. I wonder if you plan on tackling also our unfettered capitalism as one of the root causes that allows these dark triad personalities to rise above any type of societal accountability?
Honestly, I don't really care if they intend to kill everyone in the world or whatever. Like, I've heard crazier shit from people screaming in the street.
The thing that's baffling to me is that we're *still giving them money*. If you're not going to give billions of dollars to some nutter who's got no pants screaming about how everyone's infested with lobster people and the only solution is to kill everyone, why are you giving it to *these* freaks?
Netflix just recently added The Man in the High Castle, which I didn't get a chance to watch when it first aired.
Watching the first episodes, it made me think that the biggest difference between XXth century fascism and modern fascism, is that in the 1930s both Germany and Japan inculcated a 'death cult' mentality to their citizens: "it is your duty and your greatest honor to give your life for the Fatherland/the Emperor." Whereas in the United States, everyone is looking out for '#1' (themselves). "Go to the Middle East to die in Iran? Fuck you, what's in it for me?"
But then I realize that I was looking for the 'death cult' component of XXIst century fascism in the wrong place. Where you can find it is in the AI companies and their investors seeking to release into the world a technology that is specifically designed to ravage everything we hold dear as humans (nature, beauty, creativity, dignity).
The "move fast and break things" mentality is so ingrained in SV tech culture that it's now taken the form of speeding towards the nearest wall or abyss. Because motor mouths like Andreessen never introspect, their inner lives evidently have become so lonely and devoid of meaning and love, they just want to die (very publicly apparently). Neoliberal late-stage capitalism has failed them and the world very badly.
Now that you spelled it out about how threatening to kill someone as an individual vs all of humanity with AI, it’s so ludicrous! On the one hand you don’t want to take them seriously because they don’t seem like serious people, but on the other hand we should at least create some guardrails!
Also crazy to think AI could have its own values when everything it “knows” is from our own data. I shouldn’t be surprised by Marc, but I’m still dumbfounded. And as someone with anxiety, it seems impossible to not have any introspection. Must be nice to be him.
even the data center consultants that come talk at local town meetings repeat things that really most people are thinking: this guy needs some kind of mental healthcare evaluation. One equated hospitals with social media as “critical infrastructure” and they say detractors are against progress? I don’t think having a hospital fail so social media stays on is progress.
Yes, incredibly disturbing and completely unacceptable to be repeatedly spouting the doomsday potential of your technologies, which are pulling in untold billions in investments. So they are already impoverishing us. But these freaks are insulated from societal backlash by the Global Goliath, as Luke Kemp calls it. Since you are working on your book, Emile, you probably won't have time in the near future for a conversation about Kemp's book, Goliath's Curse. But maybe you can invite home to post a guest essay for our edification? That would be cool.
We are truly numbed to the disdain for life constantly on display by people with the money and power to act on it. If a defendent on trial for murder had said anything like this shit, it would prove their intent, or at least reckless indifference for human life, and would get them higher sentences. But money's always opened loopholes in the US justice system.
I will say it is always refreshing to hear someone like you Émile talking about how “It’s not AI that’ll kill us, It’s the RACE” and I would also add the AI COMPANIES. People love getting invested in Sci-Fi thinking we’ll create a Skynet…we won’t…we’ll just destroy ourselves “trying” to create it 🫠
marc? isn’t he the main backer of this platform ?
Yes, he's invested in Substack. But I don't know how I feel about that because I refuse to introspect. :-)
not to intrude but can you elaborate on your refusal to introspect? is that akin to reflect? or to judge
You are 100% correct, Émile! I look forward to reading your upcoming book. I wonder if you plan on tackling also our unfettered capitalism as one of the root causes that allows these dark triad personalities to rise above any type of societal accountability?
Honestly, I don't really care if they intend to kill everyone in the world or whatever. Like, I've heard crazier shit from people screaming in the street.
The thing that's baffling to me is that we're *still giving them money*. If you're not going to give billions of dollars to some nutter who's got no pants screaming about how everyone's infested with lobster people and the only solution is to kill everyone, why are you giving it to *these* freaks?
Netflix just recently added The Man in the High Castle, which I didn't get a chance to watch when it first aired.
Watching the first episodes, it made me think that the biggest difference between XXth century fascism and modern fascism, is that in the 1930s both Germany and Japan inculcated a 'death cult' mentality to their citizens: "it is your duty and your greatest honor to give your life for the Fatherland/the Emperor." Whereas in the United States, everyone is looking out for '#1' (themselves). "Go to the Middle East to die in Iran? Fuck you, what's in it for me?"
But then I realize that I was looking for the 'death cult' component of XXIst century fascism in the wrong place. Where you can find it is in the AI companies and their investors seeking to release into the world a technology that is specifically designed to ravage everything we hold dear as humans (nature, beauty, creativity, dignity).
Altman is more of a Goering than Hegseth.
The "move fast and break things" mentality is so ingrained in SV tech culture that it's now taken the form of speeding towards the nearest wall or abyss. Because motor mouths like Andreessen never introspect, their inner lives evidently have become so lonely and devoid of meaning and love, they just want to die (very publicly apparently). Neoliberal late-stage capitalism has failed them and the world very badly.
These folks are absolutely deranged.
The plug needs to be pulled on these projects and companies.
Now that you spelled it out about how threatening to kill someone as an individual vs all of humanity with AI, it’s so ludicrous! On the one hand you don’t want to take them seriously because they don’t seem like serious people, but on the other hand we should at least create some guardrails!
Also crazy to think AI could have its own values when everything it “knows” is from our own data. I shouldn’t be surprised by Marc, but I’m still dumbfounded. And as someone with anxiety, it seems impossible to not have any introspection. Must be nice to be him.
Could an individual make a legal case? Could I take these guys to court for threatening to kill me?
even the data center consultants that come talk at local town meetings repeat things that really most people are thinking: this guy needs some kind of mental healthcare evaluation. One equated hospitals with social media as “critical infrastructure” and they say detractors are against progress? I don’t think having a hospital fail so social media stays on is progress.
Yes, incredibly disturbing and completely unacceptable to be repeatedly spouting the doomsday potential of your technologies, which are pulling in untold billions in investments. So they are already impoverishing us. But these freaks are insulated from societal backlash by the Global Goliath, as Luke Kemp calls it. Since you are working on your book, Emile, you probably won't have time in the near future for a conversation about Kemp's book, Goliath's Curse. But maybe you can invite home to post a guest essay for our edification? That would be cool.
We are truly numbed to the disdain for life constantly on display by people with the money and power to act on it. If a defendent on trial for murder had said anything like this shit, it would prove their intent, or at least reckless indifference for human life, and would get them higher sentences. But money's always opened loopholes in the US justice system.
I will say it is always refreshing to hear someone like you Émile talking about how “It’s not AI that’ll kill us, It’s the RACE” and I would also add the AI COMPANIES. People love getting invested in Sci-Fi thinking we’ll create a Skynet…we won’t…we’ll just destroy ourselves “trying” to create it 🫠