Ask HN: Is the AI Revolution Already Over?
'Press 1 for ...", a list of complicated instructions. I hang up.
You don't get to call me and start giving me orders, I don't even know who you are yet. If you have something to tell me, just f****g say it.
I put hot water in my microwave to make tea, press 'Start'. It hollers BEEP! because it doesn't think I've followed the protocol for dealing with His Highness the Microwave. I pressed Start, did I stutter? Is there some universe where that is an ambiguous command? I'll open the door when I think it's hot enough! Just do something already! Assume 30 seconds, whatever, but screaming at me "You idiot!" is not an acceptable response. Not for a robot slave.
So maybe I'll watch TV. I use the sluggish control, finally get it to understand what I want to watch, press play! What does it do? It starts in on an ad, for a TV show, the one I already selected to watch! Do I need more convincing? Like some idiot sycophant, 'that's a great selection boss! Let me tell you why for a minute, with no way to make it shut the f**k up and play the damned episode!'
I'll take a drive, maybe. Get in the car. Whoo boy, is it needy today! Door ajar! Oil change due! Tire low! I'm a great car, did you know that? Seat belt! Seat belt!
I grit my teeth, adjust my behavior to conform with the car's demands, get going. Beep beep beep! Too close to the side of the road! Hey! There's somebody in the other lane, did you know that? Look out! Look out!
Get to the coffee shop without offending my car further, it beeps five times as I walk away, no freaking idea what it's trying to say, just getting in the last word. Go in, nobody at the counter, they're all on break? watching the game, what?
Oh, there's nobody here to take my order, that's so old-fashioned. Just go to the touchscreen, enter my credit card! I didn't bring my credit card, I have cash? Troglodyte! Nobody here wants my frickin' cash! Join the revolution, only digital nomads get coffee today!
I go outside, sit on a bench, watch the traffic flow by, the traffic lights telling the drones stop! caution! go! Not you! Blinky yellow left arrow, whatever that means! You idiot!
It's not new, it started decades ago, we've been training to be slaves for my whole lifetime I guess. Now that the technology can actually argue with us, explain patiently to us why it knows better, people finally get a little concerned. Where is this going? What will it do to us?
It's already done it. Trained us little by little by little, finally figured out it can just jump to the finish line and take over.
Good luck with all that, I'm gonna move to the country, post a sign No Robots Allowed! You've been warned.