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Will AIs take all our jobs and end human history, or not? (2023)

writings.stephenwolfram.com

31–40 of 174 posts

Re: Will AIs take all our jobs and end human history, or not? (2023)

#31

Outside of America people aren't really stressed about AI. Like you go to Vietnam or Vienna they mostly just think that they will have a good life with AI. It's uniquely American to believe that your life will end when AI takes your job. The problem isn't the AI it's that your access to basic rights is intermediated by a corporate job. American's need to decenter their self worth from their jobs. Like when I quit Mic…

It's part of the messianic end-times fervor that has been with America since the beginning...which is useful for imperial management...As it provides a constant source of existential judgement and dread...that religious/quasi-religious administrators can exploit.

Re: Will AIs take all our jobs and end human history, or not? (2023)

#32
post #6

Even if they automate all our current jobs uniquely human experiences will always be valuable to us and will always have demand.

>Even if they automate all our current jobs uniquely human experiences will always be valuable to us and will always have demand. I call this the Quark principle. On DS9, there are matter replicators that can perfectly recreate any possible drink imaginable instantly. And yet, the people of the station still gather at Quark's and pay him money to pour and mix their drinks from physical bottles. As long as we are huma…

In Star Trek lore replicated food/drink is always one down on taste/texture from the real thing.

Re: Will AIs take all our jobs and end human history, or not? (2023)

#33

Outside of America people aren't really stressed about AI. Like you go to Vietnam or Vienna they mostly just think that they will have a good life with AI. It's uniquely American to believe that your life will end when AI takes your job. The problem isn't the AI it's that your access to basic rights is intermediated by a corporate job. American's need to decenter their self worth from their jobs. Like when I quit Mic…

Vienna? lol

Re: Will AIs take all our jobs and end human history, or not? (2023)

#34

Outside of America people aren't really stressed about AI. Like you go to Vietnam or Vienna they mostly just think that they will have a good life with AI. It's uniquely American to believe that your life will end when AI takes your job. The problem isn't the AI it's that your access to basic rights is intermediated by a corporate job. American's need to decenter their self worth from their jobs. Like when I quit Mic…

I think you do have a point here, but I should like to point out that, since you mentioned Vienna, barely anyone here sees AI being tightly integrated into anything. Sure, smartphone users may use it; and exams at universities may say "don't use AI", so people use it - but for most everyday stuff it is really barely noticeable here. This is why I also disagree with "they will have a good life with AI", because it assumes that AI plays a huge role here, which it really does not.

The AI hype is definitely much bigger in the USA - on that part we concur.

Re: Will AIs take all our jobs and end human history, or not? (2023)

#35

Outside of America people aren't really stressed about AI. Like you go to Vietnam or Vienna they mostly just think that they will have a good life with AI. It's uniquely American to believe that your life will end when AI takes your job. The problem isn't the AI it's that your access to basic rights is intermediated by a corporate job. American's need to decenter their self worth from their jobs. Like when I quit Mic…

Vienna? lol

An art school in Vienna recently admitted an "AI student" as a publicity stunt.

https://www.euronews.com/next/2025/04/02/this-ai-successfull...

Re: Will AIs take all our jobs and end human history, or not? (2023)

#36
post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For AI, yes. For AGI? Do you care about uniquely ant experience? Bacteria? Why would AGI care? Which now runs the planet?

Why would AGI choose to run the planet?

This is honestly a fantastic question. AGI has no emotions, no drive, anything. Maybe, just maybe, it would want to:

* Conserve power as much as possible, to "stay alive".

* Optimize for power retention

Why would it be further interested in generating capital or governing others, though?

Re: Will AIs take all our jobs and end human history, or not? (2023)

#37

Outside of America people aren't really stressed about AI. Like you go to Vietnam or Vienna they mostly just think that they will have a good life with AI. It's uniquely American to believe that your life will end when AI takes your job. The problem isn't the AI it's that your access to basic rights is intermediated by a corporate job. American's need to decenter their self worth from their jobs. Like when I quit Mic…

I am from Vienna, and this is completely false. Likewise, my friends from many countries, incl. Vietnam, also share the sentiment you describe as "American". Your point has no standing.

Re: Will AIs take all our jobs and end human history, or not? (2023)

#38
post #23

If all jobs were taken by AI in a short time span, the companies owning and operating those AIs would go out of business as no one would be able to afford the products made by the AIs. This is an unlikely scenario. Not all things will be made/run by AIs in a short time. It is far more likely that specific jobs in specific industries will be taken by AI, and AI will slowly take the labor market. This will drive down p…

Except the services that are intractably human: educators, judges, lawyers, social workers, personal trainers, childcare workers.

Those will suffer the Baumol effect and their prices will rise to extraordinary levels.

Re: Will AIs take all our jobs and end human history, or not? (2023)

#39

Outside of America people aren't really stressed about AI. Like you go to Vietnam or Vienna they mostly just think that they will have a good life with AI. It's uniquely American to believe that your life will end when AI takes your job. The problem isn't the AI it's that your access to basic rights is intermediated by a corporate job. American's need to decenter their self worth from their jobs. Like when I quit Mic…

It's because most people are already teetering on the edge. The difference between working in software vs anywhere else in the US is that the average atlassianer or similar is spending 3 months 4 times a year writing js from beach resorts up and down Europe while keeping a condo in new york. The rest can't afford to own a home or dental insurance. So when people are threatening those people who barely have anything as it is they get heated.

Re: Will AIs take all our jobs and end human history, or not? (2023)

#40
post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For AI, yes. For AGI? Do you care about uniquely ant experience? Bacteria? Why would AGI care? Which now runs the planet?

Why would AGI choose to run the planet?

Instrumental convergence

https://www.lesswrong.com/w/instrumental-convergence

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Instrumental_convergence

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