Reflections on Catastrophe and Loss

I open my eyes and find myself lying on a bed in a hospital room. I blink.

"Hello", says a middle-aged man with glasses, sitting on a chair by my bed. "You've been out for quite a long while."

"Oh no ... is it Friday already? I had that report due -"

"It's Thursday", the man says.

"Oh great", I say. "I still have time."

"Oh, you have all the time in the world", the man says, chuckling. "You were out for 21 years."

I burst out laughing, but then falter as the man just keeps looking at me. "You mean to tell me" - I stop to let out another laugh - "that it's 2045?"

"January 26th, 2045", the man says.

"I'm surprised, honestly, that you still have things like humans and hospitals", I say. "There were so many looming catastrophes in 2024. AI misalignment, all sorts of [...]

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First published:
November 4th, 2024

Source:
https://www.lesswrong.com/posts/BarHSeciXJqzRuLzw/survival-without-dignity

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Narrated by TYPE III AUDIO.