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?
It’s the narrative values of an economic system reflected back on itself. Meaning, in order for Ai to secure a taxpayer bailout it has to rely on sci-tropes and Cold War rhetoric
Consumer facing GenAi is largely fungible, so 3 companies have been using 2 companies to facilitate building a cloud hostage infrastructure while another company selectively funds them as long as they agree to use its hardware - the race is actually to brute force the next breakthrough with raw compute bc we’ve already reached the logical end of this one
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).
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 🫠
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.
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?
It’s the narrative values of an economic system reflected back on itself. Meaning, in order for Ai to secure a taxpayer bailout it has to rely on sci-tropes and Cold War rhetoric
Consumer facing GenAi is largely fungible, so 3 companies have been using 2 companies to facilitate building a cloud hostage infrastructure while another company selectively funds them as long as they agree to use its hardware - the race is actually to brute force the next breakthrough with raw compute bc we’ve already reached the logical end of this one
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.
These folks are absolutely deranged.
The plug needs to be pulled on these projects and companies.
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 🫠
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.