Episode 1 - David Brin on the History and Future of AGI
The Mindplex Podcast
Fear of AI reflects fear of return to pyramidal social structure
The fear of AI in Hollywood scary stories is not about the technology itself, but rather the fear of a return to a pyramidal social structure. These stories depict godlike entities with immense power and control, either through murder or manipulation. The scare stories reflect a fear of losing the flattened diamond reciprocal accountability system. The films highlight the potential for AI to establish dominance, similar to the iron boot in Orwell's 1984 or a pleasure-based control system in Huxley's Brave New World. However, both scenarios disregard the importance of the flattened diamond system. An essay by a Chinese court intellectual argues for recreating a pyramid of power under a Chinese meritocracy, suggesting that only such a centralized authority could control AI. This notion is dismissed as laughable, as the super smart AIs would eventually take control over the pyramid of power. The fear of AI is ultimately a fear of returning to a social structure with concentrated power.
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