Perhaps this is a form of Gell-Mann Amnesia (but kinda inverted) where everyone views AI as too inaccurate for their own niche, but perfectly fine for every other field that they know comparably little about.
Hypothetically, I’m scared and sad that AI can replace me (it currently can’t, not literally, but a lot of my skill and expertise, built up over say 30 years, that used to be valuable and rare is now cheap to get from an AI).
Let’s try to see the upside. How ‘powerful’ would it make me if, at the cost of my own edge being dulled, can access everyone else’s edge?
I am still my own expert. Now with AI I have a minor expert in everything else as well. What is the best way to use that? don’t have an answer but it’s an aspect I haven’t seen discussed much and I think it is worth bringing up.
[1]: https://entropicthoughts.com/stop-using-junior-and-senior
Yes, the vast majority of people care about their jobs first rather than a theoretical future where mostly rich people colonize space. It's much easier to imagine yourself becoming poor than living in Mars.
I want that type of sadness back, please. Right now I'm relieved if anything to know I won't see 2126 and beyond, but that's not because I'm inherently pessimistic, I came to this world optimistic as can be.
This is normal I think. You grew up. Not wanting to live forever is totally sensible.
And "growing up" kind of can mean everything and nothing. I noticed that humans prey on humans, destroy and poison animal species and each other for nothing, for entertainment or to compensate for psychological issues. It is normal for a child to reject that, and a moral imperative for an adult to act on that, not to "get over it".
Come to think of it, kids aren't "naive" that they don't know these things. Adults are correctly ashamed of them, so they only discuss them with people who will accept shrugs, i.e. other adults. If we were honest to children about the world, the things in it we accept, they would freak the fuck out and probably be traumatized. We tell them to not kick a dog, but oh by the way, Abu Ghraib. If they say "shit" they get scolded, if a strange man scares them you should tell their parents and they'll be mad at that man, but if people murder thousands of little children, just evaporate them, that's just how it is, nothing can be done. Some people are insane and rule over us, starve us out, and that's why mommy and daddy have to work 5 jobs to have nothing compared to what the grandparents had, but here's that cartoon you like.
I'd say what is called "rational" and "grown up" is often just diminished and broken, barely surviving via constant distraction from one's own state.
Recently I had to go through some building regulations and Claude's advices were catastrophic.
1. Software devs are obviously going to have a better idea how to apply AI to software development compared to other fields. So of course the coding tools are going to be the first things made.
2. Formal verification makes the problem easier by allowing for iterative feedback (compilers, proofs, etc.)
The second argument is, I think, somewhat valid, but ignores that a lot of other professions also have similar verification systems even if they're a bit less rigorous. The first argument just explains why things are the way they are now, it's not indicative of the future. I don't want to fall into the trap of thinking that other jobs than mine require less cognitive horsepower or whatever, but I don't see what's particularly special about other jobs if it can do hard STEM stuff.
The thing that is truly mysterious to the managerial and ruling classes though... when everyone is unemployed, who will be able to afford to buy your junk? Whatever industry you're in, whatever it is you're selling, the people buying that have the money to buy it because they still have jobs. If you're cutting jobs at your company, that helps the bottom line, but every other company is doing the same thing. And they're laying off your customers.