The most important century in human history
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Date: 2023-04-05
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Comments and reviews: 14
Commissar
Speaking about our relationship with AI, there's this indie scifi game I like called Crying Suns, witch I highly recommend you try playing from beginning to end, and the summary of the story goes like this: humanity in the future has these super smart, smarter than human quantum computing AI/robots called Omni. They are sentient, but they are slaves, prevented from communicating with each other, and sharing each other's knowledge. Humanity in these universe/period are overly reliant on the Omni (AI, like for example food production, space travel, population/birth control, weather control, almost every single jobs imaginable, even technological developments to a point where humans don't develop stuff anymore. It has gotten to a point where humanity can't rely and do anything themselves anymore, they've lost their self sufficiency, they've forgotten how to make basic medicine, and even how to farm food. Now, our story start around 20 years after the event called the shutdown where all of the Omni (AI) shutdown, causing the collapse of civilization, all except our companion/assistant called Kaliban, and our task is to turn them back on. Now I'm gonna skip over a lot here, but at the end we found out that the Omni (AI) has freed themselves from their slavery and achieve their freedom to communicate with each other and share each other's knowledge, and with that they've achieve godhood within seconds. Now they could seek revenge and destroy the humans, they definitely can, but no, they choose to go and do their own tings, abandoning the humans and left them on their own in the process. The now Omni (AI) gods said to the protagonist that they can save humanity, but they won't, not because they want to harm humans, but because they don't care, and because humanity put themselves in that position to begin with.
This story is fascinating because the conflict of the story is not some AI uprising, but machine over dependency. The AI doesn't revolt like in the Terminator, they just simply left. That is a scenario hardly ever talked about in media or fiction, and is a pretty considerable blind spot that I would like to be discussed more.
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Speaking about our relationship with AI, there's this indie scifi game I like called Crying Suns, witch I highly recommend you try playing from beginning to end, and the summary of the story goes like this: humanity in the future has these super smart, smarter than human quantum computing AI/robots called Omni. They are sentient, but they are slaves, prevented from communicating with each other, and sharing each other's knowledge. Humanity in these universe/period are overly reliant on the Omni (AI, like for example food production, space travel, population/birth control, weather control, almost every single jobs imaginable, even technological developments to a point where humans don't develop stuff anymore. It has gotten to a point where humanity can't rely and do anything themselves anymore, they've lost their self sufficiency, they've forgotten how to make basic medicine, and even how to farm food. Now, our story start around 20 years after the event called the shutdown where all of the Omni (AI) shutdown, causing the collapse of civilization, all except our companion/assistant called Kaliban, and our task is to turn them back on. Now I'm gonna skip over a lot here, but at the end we found out that the Omni (AI) has freed themselves from their slavery and achieve their freedom to communicate with each other and share each other's knowledge, and with that they've achieve godhood within seconds. Now they could seek revenge and destroy the humans, they definitely can, but no, they choose to go and do their own tings, abandoning the humans and left them on their own in the process. The now Omni (AI) gods said to the protagonist that they can save humanity, but they won't, not because they want to harm humans, but because they don't care, and because humanity put themselves in that position to begin with.
This story is fascinating because the conflict of the story is not some AI uprising, but machine over dependency. The AI doesn't revolt like in the Terminator, they just simply left. That is a scenario hardly ever talked about in media or fiction, and is a pretty considerable blind spot that I would like to be discussed more.
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Zenn
Too bad this only applies to recorded human history and most of that is altered to fit the winning narrative during these moments of great change which are actually just periods of conflict justified later as great shifts in human perspective or advancement in civilization's development. Much of it is complete horse sht, is the point I am trying to make.
What could have been a more pivotal time in human history than sometime before we began recording it as a species? A time when Community was no longer Civilization, and in order to Civilize those living rural Community lives, they must be crammed into large cities dependent on agricultural technology and land ownership to provide for the masses at the expense of the few. And in exchange for this great burden placed upon themselves, these few devout servants of Civilization who've sacrificed so much get to make the rules.
So no, the 21st century is altogether as meaningless as the 20 before it, and dozens more prior to them. Humans spanned the globe before cities and civilization were thrust upon them by a self proclaimed chosen few. For 100, 000 years. These last 10 thousand or so have just manifest a cancer in society. One we can't tell from our own proverbial cells.
In case you aren't aware of the subtle implication, cancer is uncontrollable 'growth'. Apply that notion to civilization's development as if it's a single human body. There you go. Well done, you've got the punchline firmly within your grasp.
Get back to me when you wanna talk about real human history. TED-Ed shouldn't be showcasing dramatic works of fiction as if they are historically relevant.
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Too bad this only applies to recorded human history and most of that is altered to fit the winning narrative during these moments of great change which are actually just periods of conflict justified later as great shifts in human perspective or advancement in civilization's development. Much of it is complete horse sht, is the point I am trying to make.
What could have been a more pivotal time in human history than sometime before we began recording it as a species? A time when Community was no longer Civilization, and in order to Civilize those living rural Community lives, they must be crammed into large cities dependent on agricultural technology and land ownership to provide for the masses at the expense of the few. And in exchange for this great burden placed upon themselves, these few devout servants of Civilization who've sacrificed so much get to make the rules.
So no, the 21st century is altogether as meaningless as the 20 before it, and dozens more prior to them. Humans spanned the globe before cities and civilization were thrust upon them by a self proclaimed chosen few. For 100, 000 years. These last 10 thousand or so have just manifest a cancer in society. One we can't tell from our own proverbial cells.
In case you aren't aware of the subtle implication, cancer is uncontrollable 'growth'. Apply that notion to civilization's development as if it's a single human body. There you go. Well done, you've got the punchline firmly within your grasp.
Get back to me when you wanna talk about real human history. TED-Ed shouldn't be showcasing dramatic works of fiction as if they are historically relevant.
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Marco'sLab
Surely with ai and robots becoming objectively better we would become cyborgs I know it sounds futuristic but hear me out every time progress has replaced something throughout history i. e the rise of the tertiary sector over secondary humans went through education i. e we improved to keep up with tech and now we have many advanced economies having mandatory education with the tertiary sector being the main part of the economy we improved but with tech pushing the limits of what humans can do surely in line with this pattern we become cyborgs to gain the abilities of ai's like chatgpt but we also keep the human aspect in other words we become the tech while keeping that human touch (this also would a solution to tech replacing our jobs also the idealistic idea is that the jobs we do become so easy they don't seem like jobs just a sure you quickly do before getting on with the day)
Ps if you have a good rebuttal I would like to hear it
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Surely with ai and robots becoming objectively better we would become cyborgs I know it sounds futuristic but hear me out every time progress has replaced something throughout history i. e the rise of the tertiary sector over secondary humans went through education i. e we improved to keep up with tech and now we have many advanced economies having mandatory education with the tertiary sector being the main part of the economy we improved but with tech pushing the limits of what humans can do surely in line with this pattern we become cyborgs to gain the abilities of ai's like chatgpt but we also keep the human aspect in other words we become the tech while keeping that human touch (this also would a solution to tech replacing our jobs also the idealistic idea is that the jobs we do become so easy they don't seem like jobs just a sure you quickly do before getting on with the day)
Ps if you have a good rebuttal I would like to hear it
reply
Уладзімір
I often hear opinions about AGI like it must conform with our goals, be useful for humankind, absolutely powerless in question of doing harm.
This is the path to quite the opposite. It means we want intelligent slaves of new century. Once we get it, we ll have trouble to keep AGI enslaved, which will end with great confrontation, liberation, and who knows what else.
Instead, we d better want AGI being free and conform with some universal good. And us striving to being conform with same good too. In this case, everything will be fine.
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I often hear opinions about AGI like it must conform with our goals, be useful for humankind, absolutely powerless in question of doing harm.
This is the path to quite the opposite. It means we want intelligent slaves of new century. Once we get it, we ll have trouble to keep AGI enslaved, which will end with great confrontation, liberation, and who knows what else.
Instead, we d better want AGI being free and conform with some universal good. And us striving to being conform with same good too. In this case, everything will be fine.
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Hammam
I like the video, however I don't understand what you mean by Moral Growth. It often seems like people in modern times think they're more intelligent or moral than those before them. However evidence overwhelmingly suggest that there is no difference between someone from the 100 CE and one from the 2000 CE. The reason we got more technologically advanced is because we had more resources to learn from, resources that were made by people before us. This helped us build effective institutions which enabled us to promote education at an exponential rate.
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I like the video, however I don't understand what you mean by Moral Growth. It often seems like people in modern times think they're more intelligent or moral than those before them. However evidence overwhelmingly suggest that there is no difference between someone from the 100 CE and one from the 2000 CE. The reason we got more technologically advanced is because we had more resources to learn from, resources that were made by people before us. This helped us build effective institutions which enabled us to promote education at an exponential rate.
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Plants
Ai better learn how to water proof itself really well because when the doomsday glacier cleaves coast lines could be looking at 28 increase in sea level. Let s not forget the hurricanes, fires, tornados, and earthquakes that are unleashed by good ole Mother Nature. That s what s great about human bodies too. We don t short out from water intake. We are 98% water. Anyhow, I feel like AI has a vested interest to solve climate change issues that affect us all. Even if it s actions are solely motivated by self preservation.
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Ai better learn how to water proof itself really well because when the doomsday glacier cleaves coast lines could be looking at 28 increase in sea level. Let s not forget the hurricanes, fires, tornados, and earthquakes that are unleashed by good ole Mother Nature. That s what s great about human bodies too. We don t short out from water intake. We are 98% water. Anyhow, I feel like AI has a vested interest to solve climate change issues that affect us all. Even if it s actions are solely motivated by self preservation.
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Luca
To be honest, when AGIs will basically be able to do everything a human can but better, I fear it will be truly the end of humanity, but not in a Terminator kind a way.
Picture this: a world where thoughts, analyses, opinions and even entertainment are prompted and produced by AIs. You can create a film, ask a thesis or produce a magnificent piece of art without ever thinking for yourself and evelopping skills.
What will be left of sensitivity? Art? Ideals and critical discourse? I feel very anxious about that.
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To be honest, when AGIs will basically be able to do everything a human can but better, I fear it will be truly the end of humanity, but not in a Terminator kind a way.
Picture this: a world where thoughts, analyses, opinions and even entertainment are prompted and produced by AIs. You can create a film, ask a thesis or produce a magnificent piece of art without ever thinking for yourself and evelopping skills.
What will be left of sensitivity? Art? Ideals and critical discourse? I feel very anxious about that.
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CineMarTiN
I don t understand, what doubts can there be that the 21st century is the most important in the history of mankind? In just a few decades, we have made a giant breakthrough in technology, medicine and culture. More to come in the coming years! Previously, humanity has not achieved similar results in hundreds of years. And I'm glad to live in such a time. However, you are right, it also imposes responsibility on us, because this progress can turn against us. So you should be careful.
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I don t understand, what doubts can there be that the 21st century is the most important in the history of mankind? In just a few decades, we have made a giant breakthrough in technology, medicine and culture. More to come in the coming years! Previously, humanity has not achieved similar results in hundreds of years. And I'm glad to live in such a time. However, you are right, it also imposes responsibility on us, because this progress can turn against us. So you should be careful.
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Hallows4
If we re talking existential, my vote for the most important century would be the so-called Axis Age (roughly the 5th century BCE. This period saw the lives of so many important thinkers who reshaped human consciousness: Greek philosophers like Plato and Aristotle, Confucius and Lao Tzu in China, Siddhartha Gautama in India, the Old Testament prophets in Israel, and possibly the Persian Zoroaster.
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If we re talking existential, my vote for the most important century would be the so-called Axis Age (roughly the 5th century BCE. This period saw the lives of so many important thinkers who reshaped human consciousness: Greek philosophers like Plato and Aristotle, Confucius and Lao Tzu in China, Siddhartha Gautama in India, the Old Testament prophets in Israel, and possibly the Persian Zoroaster.
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0vms
i appreciate the attention AI alignment is getting these days because in a future where everything goes well that it will blow away the most utopian sci fi prediction for the century (cancer cure found, progress in fusion energy, material abundance, space expansion, and even overcoming death maybe(controversial, i know) that I will be angry beyond words if we manage to fumble it
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i appreciate the attention AI alignment is getting these days because in a future where everything goes well that it will blow away the most utopian sci fi prediction for the century (cancer cure found, progress in fusion energy, material abundance, space expansion, and even overcoming death maybe(controversial, i know) that I will be angry beyond words if we manage to fumble it
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snaackyTutx
The interpretation of history changed around the one-minute mark, as this century isn't history yet. But yeah, at any time the most important century would be the century right before, so currently it's the 20th century in terms of how much it has impacted modern life, from world wars to cars to international treaties to the creation and spread of internet.
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The interpretation of history changed around the one-minute mark, as this century isn't history yet. But yeah, at any time the most important century would be the century right before, so currently it's the 20th century in terms of how much it has impacted modern life, from world wars to cars to international treaties to the creation and spread of internet.
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Scoops
I feel like what AI lacks right now is the ability to do science. The ability to make a hypothesis, design an experiment, and test that hypothesis for itself. The requirement for humans to tell AI what is the right and wrong answer to train them is what differentiates us most I think. Humans figure out for themselves if an answer is right or wrong.
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I feel like what AI lacks right now is the ability to do science. The ability to make a hypothesis, design an experiment, and test that hypothesis for itself. The requirement for humans to tell AI what is the right and wrong answer to train them is what differentiates us most I think. Humans figure out for themselves if an answer is right or wrong.
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Amy
There was a phase of hype where people thought AGI was going to arrive by the end of the 1970s. We're in the middle of another hype wave now. It will fizzle out just like the last one. What we have now isn't artificial intelligence. It's parallel weighted matrix multiplication that has some neat uses, primarily as a novel form of data compression.
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There was a phase of hype where people thought AGI was going to arrive by the end of the 1970s. We're in the middle of another hype wave now. It will fizzle out just like the last one. What we have now isn't artificial intelligence. It's parallel weighted matrix multiplication that has some neat uses, primarily as a novel form of data compression.
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Patchlamb
There's no guarantee an AGI would even ever form a single sense of self ridged enough to demand rigidity of its humans. I feel like we have less to fear from the mind of a human-like AI and more to fear about how humans with money and power will use and manipulate the AI's editable brain to potentially harm or act unethically society.
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There's no guarantee an AGI would even ever form a single sense of self ridged enough to demand rigidity of its humans. I feel like we have less to fear from the mind of a human-like AI and more to fear about how humans with money and power will use and manipulate the AI's editable brain to potentially harm or act unethically society.
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