Wednesday, July 17, 2019

Do Humans Have Value in an AI World?


A World Without Work

The inevitable and presumed goal of civilization has been one without sweat, labor, toil, or effort.  A utopian world where consumption is unlimited, but the labor required to produce consumable items unnecessary.  Economists and the economics profession itself has long aimed to manage the factors of production in the most efficient way possible to bring about the "most efficient" version of this utopia current day technologies allowed.  And this utopian dream is so tempting, one could argue the largest part of our modern day economy is lying to people by promising it to them...as long as you borrow egregious sums at usurious rates of interest.  

But for whatever technological hurdles and sociological stumbles we as humans make towards this ideal world of unlimited resources, we have made incredible progress.  Diseases have been cured.  Life expectancies trebled.  Our environments have been tamed and controlled so we're cool in summer and warm in winter.  Flight, telecommunications, the internet.  It's an improvement a million times better than when our ancestors' primary problem was finding food or not becoming food themselves.  One could argue we're already here.

Still, people have to labor somewhat, and while life is on "easy mode" it's certainly not on "god mode" just yet.  And so we will inexorably move towards that PERFECT utopia where AI and the slave robots it commands does ALL the labor for us, producing EVERYTHING we could possibly want, making everything effectively free and the dredges of society like Ilhan Omar as "productive" and rich as the Bill Gateses of the world.

But have you ever taken the time to think about a world without work?  Have you wondered what humans would do with themselves 10 hours a day neither commuting nor laboring?  Shoot, if the robots are producing everything, why even bother going to school?  Why bother becoming literate?  Why bother even learning to wipe your ass because the "ass wiping robot" will do it for you?  Without labor or problems, from womb to tomb every second of human life would have to be occupied with some form of leisurely pursuits, hobbies, fun, eating, video games, and work-avoidance.  And while that may sound "fun" even "utopian," without labor, without professions, without the mandate to create the production that is required to support oneself and advance oneself, giving oneself value, humans would simply be left with mere hedonism and ultimately no real point or purpose in life.

You may not believe this at first, because a life of video games, unlimited sushi buffets, ice cream, and holodeck sex orgies with a score of redheaded Jennifer Anistons seems pretty hard to beat. But that is because you don't understand novelty.  This is exemplified in the Twilight Zone episode "A Nice Place to Visit" where a gangster thug dies and is presumably sent to heaven.  All of his worldly desires are met.  He never loses at the casino.  He can rob banks with nobody stopping him.  And scores of beautiful women surround him.  Though "heavenly," inevitably the novelty wears off.  He tires of winning, tires of 100% success, tires of life being so easy and actually looks for a challenge. Simply something different in life.  He is then informed by his host (who is in actuality, the Devil) that he cannot have anything different, but 100% success and material wealth forever into eternity.  This flooding of the gangster's after-life market with unlimited material goods, success, women, etc., ironically and tragically DESTROYS the novelty and thus value of ALL THINGS in the gangster's afterlife, at which point he realizes he is in fact in hell.

This hell is the same prospect facing those of you yearning and desiring for a BGI, student loan bailouts, and an "unlimited economic utopia."  On paper Perfect AI and an army of slave robots may seem great.  Until you realize it would relegate every human into a world of unlimited hedonism.  A hedonism that would quickly lose its novelty, and thus value, and therefore take away any value, worth, purpose or point of human existence.  Yes, you can have one more piece of sushi.  Yes, you can have more sex and breed as much as you want.  Yes, you can drive Ferraris like every one else.  But without a purpose, without a profession, without a connection to the goods you produce from the labor you sacrifice, humans ultimately have no value in an AI world.  You are merely "consumers" of materialism who produce nothing of value, nothing of creation, nothing of innovation.  Matter of fact, the non-sentient robots and AI software have more value, purpose, and meaning than you as what do you do other than merely exist off of the AI system?  In all honesty, most humans in a Perfect AI world might as well commit suicide, and leave the AI system for future, intrepid aliens to discover because most people would ultimately have no point or purpose in life.  Besides, the boredom would ultimately drive most people to suicide anyway.

Alas, as we asymptotically approach this Perfect AI world, humans are going to have to find something that gives them value.  And as increasing percentages of the economy have become automatic and streamlined, affording an increasing percent of the population an effective "Perfect AI World," many of us already have.  But as you'll find out, most of these new "professions" are mere distractions with no actual production of value behind them.  Merely masturbation for ultimately worthless humans to feel as if they're producing something today.  And as far as my economist eye can tell me, there are going to be five general "labor" classes in the future AI economy (though I speculated on three earlier).

"The Maintainers"

These will be the mandatory humans required to actually keep and maintain the AI system and army of slave robots programmed and operational.  A lot of these people already exist in the form of doctors, engineers, programmers, and tradesmen, but no matter how advanced AI and robots get, you're going to need humans to do some work that simply can't be done by a robot.  A medical decision.  A diagnostic on an auto repair.  Even an artistic choice when it comes to having the carpenter robots put siding on your house, humans are going to have to be present to at minimum tell/program the robots and AI what to do to meet changing demands in the economy, as well as maintain the AI infrastructure.

The "Maintainers" will be one of the only two classes that provides genuine value and economic production to society.

"The Sex Workers"

The other group of people who will provide actual, tangible value to society will be the "sex workers."  Not so much in terms of actual sex or prostitution, but no matter how many future generations are raised digitally on their cell phones and how many armies of robots we build, human nature will still demand an actual human touch.  Massages, pedicures, escorting, cuddling, rent-a-friend, rent-a-family, and yes, actual sex will become a commodity as it always has been

But an interesting note is how much demand for sexual/human touch will increase if people don't have to work.  If you thought the orgies of Senatorial Romans was epic, just wait till there's nothing left to do in life except eat, sleep, defecate and fornicate!  An additional interesting note will be the economics of the supply of sex workers.  Predominantly, men are the consumers of sex and women are the providers (though there are gigolos too).  But in such a gluttonous time, how many women (or men) will actually be physically attractive enough to beget demand?  If you want to go down the rabbit hole further, how would they be paid in that in this theoretical unlimited resource utopia? Currency would have no value (actually, it wouldn't exist).  If today is any kind of glimpse into the future, substitute goods will likely take over in that most young men today waste years looking at porn online, more women have sex toys than they do husbands, and if the slave robots are that good, then perhaps real women will be off the hook with the advent of Stepford Wives.  And what few truly attractive women remain, perhaps can sell used bath water.

If the proposition that sex work would be the only other form of valuable economic work, do not be offended.  It's more of a testament to how "utopian" a world would be if we eliminated labor, as well as a testament to human nature.  Nearly all forms of actual labor and work would be eliminated, leaving only the pursuit of pleasure on the table.  And fun as video games, eating, playing sports, and racing motorcycles is, sex is pretty high up there in terms of human recreational activities.  As long as the lights are on, food is unlimited, and we get our free F-16 fighter planes, the only other thing of value would be sex in this future economy.

"The Artists"

With no real work to do many, if not all of us, would inevitably turn to some form of art as a means to create some kind of human expression or creativity.  And it doesn't have to be "art" in the classical sense such as painting, sculpture, music, or theater, as much as it could be a hobby or an interest.  This isn't bad as it's mentally healthy to pursue hobbies and art (both today and in the theoretical perfect future) and it might be the only thing many people can do.  Plus, some people's pursuit of art might accidentally create some value for society.

But the problem with "The Artists" class of labor is one we already see too painfully today - it's flooded with truly talentless people.

Here the future is now as worthless human beings who have NO skill or talent whatsoever flood the creative world with their hideous works of "art."  Be it minimalist or modern art museums, horrific noise masquerading as modern opera, equally horrific noise masquerading as top 50 pop chart music, puke-inducing fashion, Disney-remakes, or eye-raping architecture, today's "artistic" world is honeycombed with spoiled trust fund babies who simply didn't want to work, had enough parental money to avoid it, and now create the slop that is considered "art."

But if you thought art was bad now, just wait till NOBODY has to work.  Everybody will become an artist.  Everybody will become a podcaster.  Everybody will become a fashion designer.  Everybody will become an author.  And as the market is flooded with more and more slop, the overall value of society's art and culture will go down.  But worse, very much like it is today, true talent, skill, and artistic talent will not necessarily rise to the top.  Today, the reason for this is the art world is the furthest thing from merocratic.  Cousins to studio executives get rights to remake 1980's movies in Hollywood, not the future George Lucases.  Rich people's worthless children have their art works displayed in museums said parents donate to.  People with ins, not necessarily musical talent, get record contracts.  etc. etc.  But in the future, a lack of struggle, sacrifice, labor, and work will destroy anybody's sense of value, talent, or skill.  They will not be able to tell the difference between Michelangelo's Sistine Chapel and "Piss Christ."  And since being a true artist takes sacrifice and hard work, nearly nobody in the world of the future will have worked up the skill to create something that is truly beautiful.  Alas, the future will be awash with so much worthless art and so many worthless artists, it will only be the works of the past that will carry any true artistic value.

"The Masturbaters"

While you can say there's a chance an artist today or in the future might make something of genuine artistic and economic value, the same cannot be said of "The Masturbaters."  I call them the "Masturbaters" because they merely go through the motions of production without actually producing anything of value.  Like many of the aforementioned classes, proto-cousins of these future "Masturbaters" exist today in what are largely make-work, welfare jobs programs.

Teachers
Counselors
Psychologists
Social workers
Professors
Museum directors
Site interpreters
National park rangers
Non-profit directors
HR
CSR
Librarians
Outreach directors
Assistant Reserve Vice Adjunct Provost Diversity Director
"Diversity and Inclusion" officers
etc.

We all know (themselves included) that NONE OF THEM are working a real jobs producing real or in demand things.  Their employment is either political or truly a welfare program to create make-work for low-skilled, low-IQ, and/or high-laziness people that want to avoid math, STEM, science, or real disciplines that would require real work.  And whereas mere welfare-bums are simply parasitic, taking their government money and running, today's "proto-masturbaters" are worse than that in that they not only need the money, but need their egos strokes as well.  Ergo, the world bends over backwards to create entire industries of make-work jobs so they can all play "The Land of Make Believe," imagine they're "real working adults," when in reality they are simply egotistical parasites.

That's today.  Can you imagine, when there is no need to actually have a real job or real profession, just what a high percentage of the population is going to want to work faux jobs in the Masturbation industry?  I'd estimate damn well near half the population will continue to go to school to get some kind of worthless doctorate degree, perhaps coming up with a completely new "Super Doctorate Degree" all so they can go work for some made up non-profit with some self-declared cause or another when the truth is they should just go home, shoot up some heroin, have an orgy, play video games or just plain shoot themselves.  Like most of their modern day welfare-jobs cousins, they will have no point or purpose in their career, and the only reason they bother would be to lie to themselves that in going through the motions they have value.

"The Nazis"

Take everything said about The Masturbaters, add ego and power-tripping to the formula, and you get fifth and final labor class - "The Nazis." 

Again, like the previous four labor classes you can see the seedlings of the future "Nazis" today.  SJW's, crusaders, activists, politicians - the true evil scum of the Earth who are not only too lazy to work a real job, but need to be in power and control.  Truly evil people who view their right to an easy life at the expense of others more important than other people's freedom, and will come up with every possible lie, flawed philosophy, and tactic to get it.  These vile people have always been with us and forever will.  But in a perfect AI, unlimited resource economy, a nightmarish situation will open up.

Right now most people envy those who have more than them.  It is the backbone of the democrat party (and all socialist parties in the world).  It is what drives most poor and middle income people angry with jealousy and rage.  And our main institutions reinforce, as well as capitalize on this envy be it the public schools, politicians, media, or even virtue signaling corporations.  But this envy is primarily financial.  Through democracy a significant amount of money has been transferred from the producers to the parasites, ameliorating some of this envy (though it will never be enough).  However, in the theoretical utopian AI world of unlimited resources, all people would be infinitely rich and there would no longer be any money, income, or wealth to fight over.  Again, parasites like Ilhan Omar will be just as rich as Bill Gates, and so the need for political movements of envy masquerading as "wealth redistribution" or "justice" movements will end.

Or will it?

Because you have to understand that for the future "Nazis" it was never necessarily about money as much as it was supremacy.  They simply cannot, and will not abide being inferior in ANY way, be it financial or any other metric and here is where the nightmare begins.

While a Perfect AI economy will solve all financial problems, that's all it will solve.  And there are nearly an unlimited number of other variables humans will be envious, jealous, and ultimately fight over.

Height
Beauty
Hapiness
Friends
Talent
Intelligence
Humor
Sanity
Health
Discipline

Every possible variable in humans' lives where somebody will be "better off" than another will be targeted by these (literal) Nazis.  And like their modern day SJW, politician, activist counterparts, instead of just enjoying the free internet, free food, and gubmint checks, they're going to focus on the rat bastard who;

has a hotter wife
is taller
is healthier
who hits the gym
who diets right
who can run longer
who can paint better
who sings better
who can play the guitar better
or is just plain liked more by other people

And when you realize just how invasive and total their intrusion into your personal life will become, you can see the nightmare.

Are you in shape, diet and work out?
Well screw you, "big is beautiful."

Do you have long hair, keep in shape, and attract quality good looking men?
Well screw you, we're getting tattoos, piercings, shaving our heads and dying our hair blue.

Are you really good at painting, composing, or sculpting?
Well screw you, we're going to give the scholarship to the disadvantaged non-talented person.

Do you have a club for boys that does fun stuff the girls' club doesn't?
Well screw you, we're going to invade your club and accuse you of sexism if you don't!

And are you talking to a woman with the intent of having sex?
Well screw you, we're going to report you to security and make you take sexual deviancy training!

EVERY, and I do mean EVERY aspect of your non-financial life will be interrogated and "redistributed" or at least "regulated" by these future Nazis simply because they have nothing better to do.

But...wait....that's already happening now isn't it?

Today is the Future

As per my previous missives on AI and the future economy, I like to point out how much we're "already here."  By all health and important economic measures there really is no wealth disparity.  Sure, yes, the billionaires of today have millions times more than some, and yes, most rich people drive a nicer car than I do.  But we're all living the same life style, eating the same food driving the same roads.  Just ask Steve Jobs how much his billions improved his life above that of Joe America.

But the key thing here is to realize we already effectively do live in an AI economy where the dredges of society do have a BGI, do not have to work, and do not have to support themselves.  We do have MILLIONS of "Masturbaters" employed in make work welfare jobs, the sole purpose of which is to protect their egos.  We have professional, full time "Nazis" who think it's their right to lord over us and rule us while getting paid.  We have millions of worthless, talentless children acting as artists, drowning us in their worthless crap, constantly asking for government grants. And we do have sex workers who provide sex services (though digitally more than ahem..."traditionally.").  And supporting ALL OF THIS are the "Maintainers" which is the ever-dwindling number of men and women paying 50% of their salaries in Silicon Valley, commuting in our major metros, slaving away at the machines, or patching us up after attending 8 years of med school.  We may not be there yet, but we might as well be.

The Value of a Human in an AI World

Though we will never attain a perfect, 100% AI world where EVERY need, want, and desire of ours is met, I argue we already are effectively there.  And we don't need to wait for the perfect Skynet computer to program and dictate to the perfect slave robots to find out what value humans will have in an AI world.  We already know what it is.

Zero.

If human behavior today is any predictor of the future, once the AI dream is achieved humans might as well commit mass suicide because there would be no darn good reason to live.  Not that there would be no point in life, but human behavior today indicates nobody would capitalize on it, merely just become robots themselves and consume, consume, consume.  Yes, the "Maintainers" may want to stay on board to push the limits of science to unlock things like immortality or discovering god.  And sure, if some of the "sex workers" want to maintain their physique and stick around to see what's going on, sure.  Perhaps even some of you wouldn't mind a hermit life being an artist while your slave robot makes you espresso.  You may make some good work.  But damn near 90% of the human population would be nothing better than the fat, bloated gluttons portrayed in the movie "Wall-E."  Engorging yourselves on food, laziness, sloth, envy politics, career masturbation, and the evil desire to rule and control other people's lives.  And what's sad is that's what society is already today.

So enjoy your $2.00 64 ounce sodas.
Enjoy your student loan bailouts for your "Communications Degree."
Enjoy your rascal as you scurry your bloated ass around Wal-Mart.
And enjoy protesting the fact some people worked harder than you and are thus better than you.

You're not going to achieve anything.
You have no value.
You actually likely have negative value.

Whether there's AI or not, you're nothing special.

Enjoy the Decline.
___________________________________

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21 comments:

Anonymous said...

Only about 10% of people can live decently without work an with BGI, the rest will go to pot immediately. Also, it is important to note, as Captain Capitalism did, that we are largely already here; look around you at all the unhappy people. If this is 75% of the way to AI utopia and people are hating life this much, how can it possibly get better?

Get outside and mow your lawn with a machete. Trust me, just f--kin' do it.

Komrad Karl said...

were it not for your gig online, you would still be a worthless bean counter. Pot, meet kettle.

Nikolai Vladivostok said...

There are cases of people who already live in the 'don't need to work' world and it seems to be driving them nuts.
SJWs: as you noted, while they do not work they need to find meaning by bossing, scolding and mobbing others.
Australian Aborigines: those that live in remote communities where they can no longer live a traditional life nor get a modern job frequently succumb to aloholism, petrol-sniffing and other forms of social collapse.
Rich wives: I've known some childless, non-working wives of very rich men as they wander aimlessly around the world, getting a photo of themselves holding a black baby here, doing a trendy yoga retreat there. They are always troubled and dissatisfied people.
Retirees: some do fine if they have friends and hobbies while some go to pieces.
FIRE types: that would be me. I've tried early retirement for about three weeks now (I'm forty) and I'm getting a bit antsy. I've realized this is stupid so I'm going to find some fun, part-time work to do for beer money.
Suggestions welcome.

Oswald Spengler said...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBcpuBRUdNs

"Harrison Bergeron"

The film takes place in a dystopian future in which the United States government mandates total egalitarianism in all things (particularly intelligence), by having everyone attach wearable mental "handicapping" devices to their heads and broadcasting only mind-numbing shows on television. The story centers on a high school student named Harrison Bergeron whose extreme intelligence makes him something of a pariah. He is ultimately recruited by a secret government organization whose purpose is to operate the essential functions of society that cannot be handled by the unintelligent populace.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harrison_Bergeron_(film)

Mike said...

Great article! But you forgot one other thing. What happens when there are no more ugly or stupid people either?
With Elon Musk announcing that a direct neural interface with computers is happening, eventually we'll all have access to unlimited knowledge. Will we become more and more of a hive mind? Will we all have Einstein-level IQs? Who knows?
Second, as with all other things, the cost of cosmetic medical procedures is going to drop over time. What happens when people can change hair color, skin color, eye color, height, weight, hair growth patterns, muscle density, twitch response, facial bone structure, etc? Suddenly all the men look like Jason Momoa, and all the women look like Jennifer Anniston, and the womens' soccer team can actually play like 15 year old boys.

The value of human interaction over AI will probably still be high, but the value of interaction with one human over another is going to drop like a rock based on all external criteria of physical appearance. If we ever get to the point where we can engineer what chromosomes we have, even gender will cease to have any real meaning (shudder). Race will be nonexistent (hooray!). Everyone will potentially have the same capacity for art, etc. What a scary world! It will take longer than a post-scarcity world, but rest assured it's coming.

Anonymous said...

Hi Aaron, You are wrong on the Artists. Most human beings are not really capable of complex cognitive processes, and most humans that live today lack mature emotional connection from the lizard brain with the neocortex. An artist is, by definition, a sensible person that is able to express his art, using advanced intelligence in order to use external means for such end, be words, pictures, thoughts or objects.

Most people are not capable of original thought, and will simply become automats that will receive welfare money and purchase stuff. For that matter, you could create a super AI and just make it operate credit cards randomly. Puff no more need for 90& of population.

fatmanjudo said...

See the Mouse Utopia experiment. It was referenced by Agent Smith in the Matrix:

"Have you ever stood and stared at it? Marveled at its beauty, its genius? Billions of people just living out their lives, oblivious. Did you know that the first Matrix was designed to be a perfect human world, where none suffered? Where everyone would be happy? It was a disaster. No one would accept the program. Entire crops were lost. Some believed we lacked the programming language to describe your perfect world. But I believe that, as a species, human beings define their reality through misery and suffering. The perfect world was a dream that your primitive cerebrum kept trying to wake up from. Which is why the Matrix was redesigned to this, the peak of your civilization. I say your civilization because as soon as we started thinking for you, it really became our civilization, which is, of course, what this is all about: Evolution, Morpheus, evolution. Like the dinosaur. Look out that window. You had your time. The future is our world, Morpheus. The future is our time".

The old myths and religious texts indicate that we have been here before and burnt it down.

Marcopohlo said...

Personally, I would live pretty much as I live now - going to the library and reading all the great books I can get my hands on, catching up on the film catalogue, and diving in and learning all the subjects I never had time for before I retired.

Chemistry, Sumerian history, vegetation of the Ordovician period - damn, it's fun to pick up a textbook and learn new things!

My main regret is that I couldn't spend my whole life learning things, and bettering myself, because I had to spend time learning boring stuff, and then kissing the boss's ass, just to pay my God damn bills.

AI world? Bring. It. On


Anonymous said...

> were it not for your gig online, you would still be a worthless bean counter. Pot, meet kettle.

Somebody is jealous!

Tal Hartsfeld said...

SOMEBODY will still need to be knowledgeable and skilled, as it will always be necessary to consistently reprogram, repair and readjust those robots and automation services
...and if EVERYONE is illiterate and uneducated who will be there to provide those necessary services and maintenance?

sassed1 2many said...

Prophetic perhaps. But I think the third world will destroy the first world in it's current state. So it won't be us enjoying this Utopian nightmare to the fullest

Kraemer said...

@Nikolai id it's not about the money, follow your heart. Try doing what you wanted to do. I chose gardening. Found myself a niche with gardens too small for the big crews. Maybe you like working on cars, or doing carpentry

Tucanae Services said...

First off what do fully retired people do today? That would be a good indicator of how it might be.

But I do have another scenario. AI and robots will also move into government service. They will percolate up the food chain. As some point why do the robots even need to collect taxes? They just appropriate the raw resources and run the whole product suite -- guns, rockets, planes -- thru AI enabled govt owned factories. Then the day finally dawns on Skynet that the humoniods are a hindrance. If our AI overlords are intolerant we get 'The Terminator'. If they are benevolent we get the 'Forbin Project'. Neither are really good prospects.

Frenetic Zetetic said...

The average person sucks, has no discipline, and thus is at the mercy of their own emotional whims like leaves blowing around in the winds of external stimuli. People need a purpose, even if self-imposed and arbitrary. You cannot have a void of "not action". It leaves a vacuum that causes anxiety and eventually depression via lack of control...hence SJWs! Great post as always, Cappy.

A Texan said...

These are good questions posted. What I want to know from the libertardians is what jobs are we going to have for the majority since we have an economic system based on the transfer of money to buy goods and services, especially food. Of course, they will babble about how more jobs are always created, but that is more of an assumption than an economic fact.

Anonymous said...

What good is a parasite, except to be stripped from the host and dispatched?

Post Alley Crackpot said...

"KNOW FUTURE" -- the motto of the "Zik Zak Corporation" in the TV show "Max Headroom"

...

You know how good you have it, but you know when it's time to stop clock punching with the rest of the Telepresence Tards because of impending decrepitude.

So you have a friend get you a highly illegal mod pack from some North Koreans who specialise in them. Dirt cheap, you were told, so cheap your friend didn't even want to have you transfer money for it. Maybe he was just afraid of having the deal blow back in his face by way of the Global Financial Construct.

Installing the mod pack on your telepresence deck takes a minute, most of which involves saying yes to all of the ways you're about to invalidate your warranty.

Not that you'll be claiming that, not now, not ever.

That's because your mod pack lets you set the telepresence deck to soak up all of your neural bandwidth and deliver you into the AI paradise of your dreams, but with a catch: you're locked out of punching your way out of Telepresence Heaven.

And so your body just sits in the chair, electrodes hooked to it, until you slowly starve and dehydrate to death. You pretend you're in paradise, and you snuff it with less violence than chowing down on that .45 ACP Tootsie Roll you've been going on about.

GAME OVER

But not for you today, baseline.

There's a black market for all of your organs, and so the mod pack zapped your neural feeds at a time when you weren't expecting it, taking you out like a cow getting a stun gun slap to the back of the head.

Moo, motherfucker, you are now hamburger for The Body Banks.

They know where you really are thanks to some clever covert location electronics that slips by all of the shit you built up over the years to hide the fact that you were a baseline console wanker on a diet of government cheese living out of an all-weather fuck-pod in Rapid City, South Dakota.

That stuff doesn't always work though, so the North Koreans made a side deal with the Internet Cleaners Union to provide a best-guess estimate of where you snuffed it so they can come by to dispose of your corpse.

Your government heirs want to be able to sell your dwelling for as much as they can, and the lingering smell of putrescine and shit is really hard to get out of the floors, even after disposing of all of the carpet.

Sometimes you're not even that lucky, because on a few occasions the Mind Farmers show up and download your sentience into a Mind Box so you can be put on The Farm working on shit that nobody wants to pay for.

Some of them think it's a great joke after they've jacked your mind into a box to reboot your body so it'll twitch until it's depleted all of the residual energy left in it.

Why would they care, once you're in a Mind Box you're going down for the long count.

You could already be there, baseline, think about it.

Snatch back your brain, zombie, snatch it back and hold it.

You think this is all new?

Sci-fi writers have been telegraphing the intent of The Systems Architects for decades.

"There are modes of survival we are willing to accept."

Who the fuck do you think that is for, Baseline 1.0 Console Dick?

It's not for you, baseline.

All that baseline humans ever did well was fuck and kill.

Makes it real easy for an AI to figure out what to do with most of you.

Keep it simple so you can understand it, I hear: you only process data these days in the form of audio-visual constructs.

They've got you covered: you'll get full sensory overload in your last days by being fucked to death, in the AI paradise you've dreamed about ... except that you're going to be the condom.

Meatbody, whuchu think's for dinner?

MvdG29 said...

Religion, Aaron. Religion. You are overlooking this factor. For example, Islam says our purpose in life is to worship God. Pray 5 times a day, on specified times, day and night. This is to discipline the believers. Make them fast 1 out of 12 months. Make it an obligation to pay charity. Meet each other at least every friday in the mosque, to strengthen the local as well as the global community by discussing world affairs. Etc.

In other words, Aaron: Those who live by the Islamic purpose of life, already see the world for what it is. AI would be a God send for such believers, to filter out all the unnecessary crap that a lot of people are forced to do daily, which distracts them from their real purpose in life.

As for me, I can't wait for the world to catch up, and like you will create my personal utopia right now.

Bird of Paradise said...

Liberals wanting to move us all back to Europe and allow the illegal aliens or Future Democratic Voters and Supporters take over

Anonymous said...

When I was raising my children I told them this. I asked them if they think they would really be happy if they had everything and I told them that life is a struggle and without it we would gone insane. Maybe having an extra thousand dollars is a good thing, but having an extra hundred million is not. Most people can't handle it.

Old Sarge

BriarRabbit said...

You're getting close to discovering some biblical truths Cap. This article could easily be renamed to "Do Humans Have Value In A Godless World".

What humans are desirous to get back to is called "Eden". It is more than a little ironic that the vehemence fly Godless Left desires utopia the most. But they think they can legislate it instead of God providing it.

There will be no utopia till the return of our Savior. The reason Eden worked is humans were filled with the presence of God, and therefore having all needs fulfilled was not only tolerable, but intensely satisfying.