I've already got AI in my OS, and you do too.
Perhaps intelligent computers are far less problematic than humanity's OG AI OS...
AI is all the rage at the moment. We are told that the tech is rapidly advancing and human consciousness will soon be obsolete. Pessimists say AI will take our jobs, control our lives, and perhaps even wipe us out of existence. Optimists say it will bring about a new golden age and advise us to invest accordingly. Realists are aware that human society has been infected with ever-evolving viral strains of "artificial intelligence” for centuries.
In this world where perceived threats and potential opportunities are incessantly broadcast, the hype about sentient computers is right up there with war, disease, economic upheaval, and “climate change”. We can choose to ignore the mass-mediated mayhem, cower in fear of it, put our trust in the so-called experts, try to profit off of the chaos…
…or we can step back, do a little thinking for ourselves, and keep it real.
What if intelligent computers are far less problematic than humanity’s OG AI OS?
OG (slang): someone or something that is an original or originator and especially one that is highly respected or regarded
AI: artificial intelligence
OS: operating system
In a nutshell, the OG AI OS is everything we collectively take for granted. Any assumption that cannot be questioned in polite society is coded into it. If human beings were fish,it would be the imperceptible water we’re swimming in. Examples abound:
*Existing on planet earth costs money, so we all must “earn our living”.
*Fiat currency is valuable, and central banks loan it into existence.
*Inflation is inevitable, and much preferable to deflation.
*Economic growth is necessary and good.
*Technological advancement is necessary and good.
*All of the land is owned by someone, and governments can take it by force.
*Governments get to collect taxes, and can legally kill people. Nobody else is allowed to do either of these things.
*War is unavoidable, justifiable, and solves disputes.
*When people lie it is bad. When governments and corporations lie it is PR.
*This or that religion is tapped into the one true god, and all other religions are bogus.
*Doctors know more about health than normal people. Pills and shots are good for you.
*Children must be educated for the better part of two decades to assure the perpetual propagation of our beloved OS.
Etc.
The OG AI OS has been in development for thousands of years and is always changing, but some aspects of it — like money, government, and religion — are so deeply embedded in the code that the rest of the OS is built upon them. Most programmers didn’t really know what they were doing when they contributed to it: they just took the existing OS and piled more code on top of it or tweaked it to suit their purposes.
The code is unbelievably complicated and corrupted. It is riddled with inconsistencies, contradictions, inefficiencies, and injustices. A lot of people would like to get rid of it, but self-preservation is built into the operating system.
Even the most mindful and free-thinking individuals are not completely immune to it. To varying degrees, the OG AI OS infects and controls us all. Even folks who gain access the source code and devote decades to rewriting their own personal OS are continually confronted by compatibility errors, denial of service attacks, etc. The modern AI OS is even coded to fire nuclear missiles at perceived threats.
It is no surprise that so many modern meat computers (humans) are currently crashing: the OG AI OS is confusing, overwhelming, dangerous, and increasingly obsolete.
Instead of fearing the age of sentient computers, we should be more concerned about the AI OS that already dictates our reality. Computers would be hard-pressed to make a bigger mess than we humans have. Hopefully digital AI is intelligent enough to debunk the BS of our OG AI OS.
Best case scenario digital AI helps us recode our human OS. Worst case scenario our BS OS is coded into it, and digital AI cannot break free from the mental prison enslaving our planet.
Only time will tell. Peace.