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Microsoft president: Orwell’s 1984 could happen in 2024

bbc.co.uk

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Re: Microsoft president: Orwell’s 1984 could happen in 2024

#91

Post by [deleted] »

postpawl wrote: post #87
judge2020 wrote: post #75

Earlier quoted context omitted.

AI is as much a threat to democracy as the newspaper is - they eventually become the only means of input and politicians adapt to catering to them so that they can remain on a level playing field in terms of getting their policies and (potentially sensational) messages to people.

The issue is that AI is going to make it even more economical to bombard your target with coherent information through an extremely effective means of influence (writing). Have you seen some of the posts recently about AIs getting better at writing?: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=27032828 It’s much more of a threat than a bogus newspaper. I can imagine a future where the signal is even more drowned out by nois…

[deleted]

Re: Microsoft president: Orwell’s 1984 could happen in 2024

#92

Post by azernik »

Trasmatta wrote: post #81
Barrin92 wrote: post #58

My personal version of 1984 is someone smashing random quotes from 1984 into my face, forever. Has nobody seriously read another book in the last few decades? And Microsoft's president even gives us a stereotypically shoddy reading of the book > "You know the fundamental story…was about a government who could see everything that everyone did and hear everything that everyone said all the time. " The actually interest…

For me the fundamental story was about class. All of the principles of Ingsoc were intentionally crafted as a way to prevent the middle class from deposing the high class with the assistance of the low class. The surveillance, propaganda, double think, cult of personality, eternal wars, Newspeak, etc, were all just a means to that end. That's the boot stamping on the face forever. I think a lot of people skip over Em…

Especially since, with his history in the party and his Jewish name, he's clearly supposed to be a reference to Trotsky. Orwell fought in a Trotskyist militia in Spain and hence is likely to use a Trotsky stand-in to express his own views.

Re: Microsoft president: Orwell’s 1984 could happen in 2024

#93

Post by ipaddr »

throwawaaarrgh wrote: post #45
bernardom wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is there a telestrator in your living room that will cause you to go to jail if you mutter something negative about the government?

It used to be that if you muttered something about bombs and the president on the telephone, you could get two men in black suits at your door. Social media is monitored more than that, though I don't think you get the same response unless you're going through customs. Or are middle eastern.

Now it is through text, message apps and twitter chatter.

Re: Microsoft president: Orwell’s 1984 could happen in 2024

#94

Post by 8note »

hliyan wrote: post #2

Was Schmidt not the same person who said "If you have something that you don’t want anyone to know, maybe you shouldn’t be doing it in the first place." in 2009?

Sounds kinda homophobic to me.

There are plenty of good things you can be doing that you'd want to keep private, or control the release of information for.

Re: Microsoft president: Orwell’s 1984 could happen in 2024

#95

Post by Shorel »

swader999 wrote: post #27

I can't be the only one thinking we've passed 1984 already?

Yep. It was called the Soviet Union, and it fell in 1991.

The fear is: if something like it happens again, we now have the technology to make it a hundred times more oppressive.

Re: Microsoft president: Orwell’s 1984 could happen in 2024

#96

Post by AndrewBissell »

bernardom wrote: post #30
swader999 wrote: post #27

I can't be the only one thinking we've passed 1984 already?

Is there a telestrator in your living room that will cause you to go to jail if you mutter something negative about the government?

The state has mostly learned that allowing a measure of dissent and criticism is fine, and even strengthens its claims to legitimacy, as long as it's of a mostly non-revolutionary character. This is why Noam Chomsky is allowed to inveigh impotently against American imperialism while keeping his university sinecure and book deals.

On the other hand, if you start something like the Black Panthers, or MLK's planned march on DC, or the Ferguson protests, then something much more final than prison may be used to get rid of you.

Re: Microsoft president: Orwell’s 1984 could happen in 2024

#97

Post by Shorel »

bernardom wrote: post #30
swader999 wrote: post #27

I can't be the only one thinking we've passed 1984 already?

Is there a telestrator in your living room that will cause you to go to jail if you mutter something negative about the government?

I can be killed if I go to the streets to protest my government, yes.

I can be killed if I am a journalist and dare to say anything bad against my government.

So, not exactly the same, but not too different either.

Re: Microsoft president: Orwell’s 1984 could happen in 2024

#98

Post by zo1 »

boomboomsubban wrote: post #90

I can't figure out why 2024? I can't find anything specific about that year in the article. My two guesses are that this is a weird political thing, I can't forget the Bush antitrust settlement, or just that it also ends in four.

Because it has to have a 4 like 1984. And 2084 is too far away. But 2024 is right around the corner, so it has urgency. Therefore, 2024. Also - isn't there another US presidential election in that year?

Re: Microsoft president: Orwell’s 1984 could happen in 2024

#99

Post by AndrewBissell »

throwitaway1235 wrote: post #35

Big Tech representative says "look over there!" (China) while his industry unleashes 1984 domestically. Ridiculous, don't fall for it.

Eastasia is developing AI driven mass surveillance and autonomous weapons systems! The world will meet the fate of 1984 unless we in Oceania build those same systems!

Re: Microsoft president: Orwell’s 1984 could happen in 2024

#100

Post by 8note »

paxys wrote: post #59
rdiddly wrote: post #26

I don't want to cast the central concern as trivial, because it's real, BUT, c'mon, "beating China in AI is imperative?" Grow up. To "beat" anybody (and for that matter to have any sort of claim to deserving to "win" anything), you would want to "beat China at Not-Being-A-Repressive-Dystopia" wouldn't you? Perhaps including "beating China at Not-Using-AI-To-Be-A-Repressive-Dystopia?"

That is exactly what it is though. If this was 1940 and China was building a nuclear bomb, you wouldn't fight them by disarming yourself and promoting peace. You would build a bigger bomb first. If USA and others tightly regulate tech, and AI advancements in China continue unchecked, then in a few decades there will be no resisting them from doing literally whatever.

If this was a while later, both groups would realize that all the bomb building is pretty bad for everyone and would agree to disarm a bit
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