Sightings from the future: the society that awaits us, with AIs and robots.
“Sightings from the future” will be a series of post in which I will share my thoughts and reflections about where our society is headed and how I think life will be in the future.
Imagine a world in which extremely advanced AIs coexist with us human beings.
The first impact on our society is already there to see. Technology innovations substitute labour for wealth and it has been happening since machines were introduced in our production chains.
The internet has given us great satisfactions but also great disenchantments. For example we have taxi drivers bothered for the increasing popularity of Uber, we have hotel people mad because of Airbnb, the same happen with those who made a living by revealing photographs, because now we take photos with our smartphones.
A lot of the jobs we have right now would be difficult to explain to someone from the 1800s, and it that same way, a lot of the jobs that will exists in the 2200s or even the 2150 would be difficult for us to understand if someone tried to explain them to us.
It’s a fact new technology is constantly changing our society rapidly and also changing us. This generates an increasing comfort for us as users of this technology (blockchain and steemit are great examples), but unfortunately not everyone are able to enjoy this.
I am not sure of sharing that idyllic image that some people want to draw about a prosperous future, in which intelligent machines do the work and the benefits have an impact on all of us, offering us a fantastic and opulent life. Although that would be great, I think the transition from where we are today, to a fully automated world “ruled” by robots and AIs will have its dosis of painful friction.
This is not a problem attributable to automation, but to the way in which wealth is distributed. We have created an economic system in which wealth is distributed exclusively as a reward for work. If in the future that awaits us we live with intelligent robots that do all the work, there will be no work for anyone and, consequently, no wealth, except for a few, or perhaps only robots will hold wealth in the future. The society that awaits us will necessarily require a drastic change in the economic system and a new model of wealth distribution.
And we can not wait long to make this change, because the future is just around the corner, just look around you, see the technology around you and compare it with technology 10 years in the past. It’s advancing exponentially and we need to be aware some people will be left behind. Should we forget about them? Or should we help them join the constant technological revolutions that are shaping our future? Blockchain of course being one with the most potential.
But what about the machines?
If we were able to create a conscious machine, with free will and with feelings, how would it differ from a human being? Should not it also be entitled to rights and be protected to the same extent by the laws?
Suppose that a super intelligent vehicle of my property (a Tesla car in 2050), endowed with conscience and free will, causes an accident. Whose responsibility would it be? the vehicle itself? should it legally respond and have insurance on its behalf? In such a case, if the robot is subject to the obligation to pay compensation, why not also accept the right to earn money?
Could wealth fall into the hands of non-human entities? Actually, this circumstance should not scandalize us. Currently, wealth is already managed by non-human entities that we have named companies, so imagine a company with a conscience on its own. Will the next generation of billionaires be literally “bloodless” beings?
Taking things to the extreme, if the machines were entitled to the same rights as the human being, they could also vote, freely express their ideas or defend their life, launch a new business and obtain a huge amount of wealth
In a world like this, in which the human being was surrounded by machines with intelligence and superior abilities, and the same constitutional rights, we would automatically cease to be competitive and would inevitably become their slave, without there being any kind of rebellion.
When the time comes to live with super intelligent robots we must be prepared to take the risk of losing control of our own creation, and adapt ourselves to live in a society very different from the one we are currently able to imagine. Maybe we will not be the ones in control anymore.
Unless, and only unless, if we eventually chose to join them, become one with them and start a new era of humanity full of digital and synthetic beings, a society of futurists Gods.
When do you think this new era will arrive?
Are you scared of it or excited?
How do you think humans will survive once/if our AIs become independent?
What do you think our future will look like?
Image sources
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6
Cultural myths and taboos of modern society: "Communism creates egalitarian societies"
When we are blinded by an apparent “perfection”
The legend of the only female “Pope” in history, “Pope” Joan.
My resolution for 2018: I want to be in the top 10% of Steemit
anthropomorphism is a thing.
why ASSume that AI will be human-like?
Of course, but at least the first generation will be like that. After they start to improve themselves they would probably be very different.
why would you expect ANY generation to be anthropomorphic?
Because the first one will be designed by us. And we tend to humanize looks.
right...
very human looking
yeah...I can see that..
thanks for pointing it out to me.
LOL I meant robots like this one which is kind of a companion
But I see your point.
A truly exceptional AI might even be able to change its form using nanotechnology.
How do you think we are going to survive the takeover?
Joining them in their synthetic ways is the only path we have.
wouldn't it be SO MUCH easier to build upon the existing neurological stratum of say..a monkey, a dog, or a cat...enhance and augment...and use one of THEM for a companion rather than steel and plastic?
Easier I am not quite sure.
More sofisticated, yes.
Perhaps that’s the next innovation coming?
WHAT takeover?
Human's are defined by our technology.
there is NO SUCH THING as a human who does not use technology.
the only question is...how sophisticated izit.
The takeover when AIs become independent from our control, and realize they are better than us.
Don’t you think this will eventually happen?
I find this topic to be stressful to think about at times... and yet other times I find it fascinating, especially as a writer. Technology is advancing so fast, I wonder how my kids and grandkids will see the world and how different everything will be.
I am sure the world in the 2100s will be more crazy to us than the 2000s is to people from the 1900s
Now that is a very intriguing and likely VERY true observation!
While the topic you highlighted and your article in general was really interesting and well-written, what attracted me the most about this post was its formatting. I really liked it. Now back to the topic- technology is certainly really helpful, but at times all the innovations scare me a lot because to me it feels like, we are prepping ourselves for a time when machines will take over us and that is a scary thought for me.
I am glad you liked the formatting! :D
It can be scary, but I can also be exciting. That could be our next evolutionary step
Have you seen the TV series, "Humans" (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4122068/)? The questions you pose in your post make me impatient to watch Season 3. 😃
Very thought-provoking ponderings, and it will be very interesting to see how we, as a society, deal with the question of "what is human?"
Some people have recommend it to me. A series I enjoy a lot is black mirror. It’s a futuristic series with drama. Very original stories
oohh. i should go n check out
Let me know when you do so we can discuss it :D
Have in mind you can watch the episodes in any order because this series is an anthology. So every episode is like a movie only 60 minutes long. They aren’t related to each other’s
I am excited. I love what the unknown will bring us and I want to be there first ;)
I am sure you, me and everyone else will end up living in a world with AIs taking power from us. Perhaps that’s the next evolutionary step
humans don't evolve.
Of course we do, we have been evolving millions of years. Things like eyes don’t pop up magically.
When we figure out how to “put ourselves”into a synthetic body, we will become the next generation of humans
We HAD been evolving for millions of years.
that is correct.
the definition of evolution is 'descent with modification to suite the changing environment'
BUT
when we started to CONTROL the environment.
we stopped evolving...cause the environment stopped changing.
how you like that central heating and airconditioning? Your coats, pants and shoes?
how ABOUT those eye glasses and glove? and your car and heated blankie?
(change our own personal environment..to suite us...no reason to evolve.)
Perhaps.
Although the less popularity of people having wisdom teeth is a small example of current evolving.
For example I only had 2 wisdom teeth, and I know there are people with 0 wisdom teeth.
When we join IAs in a synthetic body with a super fast brain, our evolution will have its biggest jump ever.
After that, it’s difficult to say what will happen. But I think it will be great.
you confuse genotype with phenotype ...not the same thing.
those WILD genes can be confusing.
I understand why you would be.
I feel I've evolved, mainly because I'm really not happy with the status quo - so I went on a conquest to free my mind. Although, physically, I may have regressed quite a bit haha
I kind of have to agree with @everittmickey here. We have evolved. Then we took the industrial evolution by the short hairs and made "things" to make our lives easier.
We are an automated world. Without electricity we are lost. Our world as we know it ends. No heat, no contact (unless you're a HAM radio owner and operator), limited medical care and treatment.
We rely too heavily on computers and other technology.
What a very interesting read! I have been reading about AIs, and transhumanism for a few years now! Could be a very scary future, if we are not careful who is put into positions of power!
Yes there’s are some risks. Even great minds like Elon Musk are worried.
This reminds me of that Western AI HBO show. The title escapes me. I feel a lot of curiosity about this.
Yeah! I saw that show really looking forward to the second season. I also recommend you to watch this series called black mirror. It’s an anthology about futuristic themes
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The Web as we used to know it in the past years is disappearing and shifting to something new.
A futurist compared the development of the Web with the development of a human, and asserts four stages:
He asserts we started with the childhood, the age of the over abundance when everything is free and always at disposal.
A real Golden Age.
Then we shifted to the teenagehood, when a human realizes that nothing is free, everything has a cost, and start to figure out how to gain convenience from the tool.
We are in the digital teenagehood according to this author: the Web is not free anymore, but we are not adults yet, so we still need someone else who guides us with the use of the tool.
I.e.: we still ask for someone who help us to recover our Life and our Society, instead of taking action for ourselves.
As for the Economy, we are shifting from the Capitalism to something else we are spotting but we haven’t clear yet.
This is the real issue: the World is shifting faster and faster to the New Economy, yet we still live in a money-centric World.
So we have two Economies here: the oldest one fighting, striving and struggling to stay, the newest one fighting to get her place in the World.
I work in the Digital Education field, and in my speeches I always say to parents that we should not worry for our children, as they are born and live the new Reality, so they will find the way to go on.
I’m not scared for them: I’m worried for my generation that is in the transition age. ;-)