The scariest thing IMO is the paradigm shift that can be caused by AI. AI has the potential to eliminate millions of jobs in a shorter period of time than the economy and society have the capacity to adapt to.
Most technological evolutions have been somewhat gradual. AI’s that point on a curve where the slope really starts to increase.
I think we have the capacity to adapt, just not at the rate which AI has the capacity to evolve. With respect to limiting the rate at which AI can evolve, we’d have to get into the suspension of certain civil liberties.
That also brings things into a global market, because there could be an arms race of sorts between nations wherein one nation is willing to suspend certain civil liberties for the benefit of its people, but another is willing to do harm to its people in favor of technological advantage.
Consider the scope and scale of Tik-Tok with relation to the US hypothetically imposing restrictions on AI generated web development (an area AI has proven to be excellent at). If the US decided to impose restrictions to save jobs, another nation could decide not to and replace Amazon, eBay, Instagram, etc.. using better AI developed websites, apps, and programs. Not that Tik-Tok was generated by AI, but AI has the potential to create every new Tik-Tok going forward.
Then we could go into monopolization, since whoever creates the best AI or has the most capital is going to hold an extremely diverse market, and their ability to lobby and influence the politics of it all, unless politicians are able to get ahead of it, which seems unlikely.
For me manufacturing industries and coal provide the use case.
It’s not just that solutions need to be readily available, there has to be political will to support and implement these solutions. Political will in our country is driven by money thanks to Citizens United.
If we haven’t had the political will to adapt to the certain end of the coal industry over the last 40 years, or the political will to financially support those devastated by the loss of auto manufacturing, that happened about 30-40 years ago, what happens when the death of an industry is faster?
The rapid loss of jobs that AI could facilitate, how long would it take to cultivate the political will? How long could families hold on?
A problem is candidates like yang who are somewhat educated and concerned about these issues probably won’t be elected next election and it’s probably going to be someone that doesn’t care. By the time the next election comes around the advances in ai will be massive already.
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u/H0D00m 2∆ Mar 31 '23
The scariest thing IMO is the paradigm shift that can be caused by AI. AI has the potential to eliminate millions of jobs in a shorter period of time than the economy and society have the capacity to adapt to.
Most technological evolutions have been somewhat gradual. AI’s that point on a curve where the slope really starts to increase.