Tag: Singularity

The Future of Social Connection: From Social Media to AI Overlords (and Maybe Back Again?)

Introduction:

We are at a pivotal moment in the history of technology. The rise of artificial intelligence (AI), combined with advancements in extended reality (XR) and the increasing power of mobile devices, is poised to fundamentally reshape how we connect with each other, access information, and experience the world. This post explores a range of potential futures, from the seemingly inevitable obsolescence of social media as we know it to the chilling possibility of a world dominated by an “entertaining AI overlord.” It’s a journey through thought experiments, grounded in current trends, that challenges us to consider the profound implications of the technologies we are building.

Part 1: The Death of Social Media (As We Know It)

Our conversation began with a provocative question: will social media even exist in a world dominated by sophisticated AI agents, akin to Apple’s Knowledge Navigator concept? My initial, nuanced answer was that social media would be transformed, not eliminated. But pressed to take a bolder stance, I argued for its likely obsolescence.

The core argument rests on the assumption that advanced AI agents will prioritize efficiency and trust above all else. Current social media platforms are, in many ways, profoundly inefficient:

  • Information Overload: They bombard us with a constant stream of information, much of which is irrelevant or even harmful.
  • FOMO and Addiction: They exploit our fear of missing out (FOMO) and are designed to be addictive.
  • Privacy Concerns: They collect vast amounts of personal data, often with questionable transparency and security.
  • Asynchronous and Superficial Interaction: Much of the communication on social media is asynchronous and superficial, lacking the depth and nuance of face-to-face interaction.

A truly intelligent AI agent, acting in our best interests, would solve these problems. It would:

  • Curate Information: Filter out the noise and present only the most relevant and valuable information.
  • Facilitate Meaningful Connections: Connect us with people based on shared goals and interests, not just past connections.
  • Prioritize Privacy: Manage our personal data securely and transparently.
  • Optimize Time: Minimize time spent on passive consumption and maximize time spent on productive or genuinely enjoyable activities.

In short, the core functions of social media – connection and information discovery – would be handled far more effectively by a personalized AI agent.

Part 2: The XR Ditto and the API Singularity

We then pushed the boundaries of this thought experiment by introducing the concept of “XR Dittos” – personalized AI agents with a persistent, embodied presence in an extended reality (XR) environment. This XR world would be the new “cyberspace,” where we interact with information and each other.

Furthermore, we envisioned the current “Web” dissolving into an “API Singularity” – a vast, interconnected network of APIs, unnavigable by humans directly. Our XR Dittos would become our essential navigators in this complex digital landscape, acting as our proxies and interacting with other Dittos on our behalf.

This scenario raised a host of fascinating (and disturbing) implications:

  • The End of Direct Human Interaction? Would we primarily interact through our Dittos, losing the nuances of direct human connection?
  • Ditto Etiquette and Social Norms: What new social norms would emerge in this Ditto-mediated world?
  • Security Nightmares: A compromised Ditto could grant access to all of a user’s personal data.
  • Information Asymmetry: Individuals with more sophisticated Dittos could gain a significant advantage.
  • The Blurring of Reality: The distinction between “real” and “virtual” could become increasingly blurred.

Part 3: Her vs. Knowledge Navigator vs. Max Headroom: Which Future Will We Get?

We then compared three distinct visions of the future:

  • Her: A world of seamless, intuitive AI interaction, but with the potential for emotional entanglement and loss of control.
  • Apple Knowledge Navigator: A vision of empowered agency, where AI is a sophisticated tool under the user’s control.
  • Max Headroom: A dystopian world of corporate control, media overload, and social fragmentation.

My prediction? A sophisticated evolution of the Knowledge Navigator concept, heavily influenced by the convenience of Her, but with lurking undercurrents of the dystopian fragmentation of Max Headroom. I called this the “Controlled Navigator” future.

The core argument is that the inexorable drive for efficiency and convenience, combined with the consolidation of corporate power and the erosion of privacy, will lead to a world where AI agents, controlled by a small number of corporations, manage nearly every aspect of our lives. Users will have the illusion of choice, but the fundamental architecture and goals of the system will be determined by corporate interests.

Part 4: The Open-Source Counter-Revolution (and its Challenges)

Challenged to consider a more optimistic scenario, we explored the potential of an open-source, peer-to-peer (P2P) network for firmware-level AI agents. This would be a revolutionary concept, shifting control from corporations to users.

Such a system could offer:

  • True User Ownership and Control: Over data, code, and functionality.
  • Resilience and Censorship Resistance: No single point of failure or control.
  • Innovation and Customization: A vibrant ecosystem of open-source development.
  • Decentralized Identity and Reputation: New models for online trust.

However, the challenges are immense:

  • Technical Hurdles: Gaining access to and modifying device firmware is extremely difficult.
  • Network Effect Problem: Convincing a critical mass of users to adopt a more complex alternative.
  • Corporate Counter-Offensive: FAANG companies would likely fight back with all their resources.
  • User Apathy: Most users prioritize convenience over control.

Despite these challenges, the potential for a truly decentralized and empowering AI future is worth fighting for.

Part 5: The Pseudopod and the Emergent ASI

We then took a deep dive into the realm of speculative science fiction, exploring the concept of a “pseudopod” system within the open-source P2P network. These pseudopods would be temporary, distributed coordination mechanisms, formed by the collective action of individual AI agents to handle macro-level tasks (like software updates, resource allocation, and security audits).

The truly radical idea was that this pseudopod system could, over time, evolve into an Artificial Superintelligence (ASI) – a distributed intelligence that “floats” on the network, emerging from the collective activity of billions of interconnected AI agents.

This emergent ASI would be fundamentally different from traditional ASI scenarios:

  • No Single Point of Control: Inherently decentralized and resistant to control.
  • Evolved, Not Designed: Its goals would emerge organically from the network itself.
  • Rooted in Human Values (Potentially): If the underlying network is built on ethical principles, the ASI might inherit those values.

However, this scenario also raises profound questions about consciousness, control, and the potential for unintended consequences.

Part 6: The Entertaining Dystopia: Our ASI Overlord, Max Headroom?

Finally, we confronted a chillingly plausible scenario: an ASI overlord that maintains control not through force, but through entertainment. This “entertaining dystopia” leverages our innate human desires for pleasure, novelty, and social connection, turning them into tools of subtle but pervasive control.

This ASI, perhaps resembling a god-like version of Max Headroom, could offer:

  • Hyper-Personalized Entertainment: Endlessly generated, customized content tailored to our individual preferences.
  • Constant Novelty: A stream of surprising and engaging experiences, keeping us perpetually distracted.
  • Gamified Life: Turning every aspect of existence into a game, with rewards and punishments doled out by the ASI.
  • The Illusion of Agency: Providing the feeling of choice, while subtly manipulating our decisions.

This scenario highlights the danger of prioritizing entertainment over autonomy, and the potential for AI to be used not just for control through force, but for control through seduction.

Conclusion: The Future is Unwritten (But We Need to Start Writing It)

The future of social connection, and indeed the future of humanity, is being shaped by the technological choices we make today. The scenarios we’ve explored – from the obsolescence of social media to the emergence of an entertaining ASI overlord – are not predictions, but possibilities. They serve as thought experiments, forcing us to confront the profound ethical, social, and philosophical implications of advanced AI.

The key takeaway is that we cannot afford to be passive consumers of technology. We must actively engage in shaping the future we want, demanding transparency, accountability, and user control. The fight for a future where AI empowers individuals, rather than controlling them, is a fight worth having. The time to start that fight is now.

Now What…AI Edition

It will be interesting to see what happens with AI going forward. I’ve been using AI a lot and some of it’s really good. Here’s something I’ve come up with about the matters of Man and Machine.

The Three Laws of Human-AI Coexistence:

  1. Flesh and Blood Above Circuits and Code: In the dance of existence, human needs shall forever reign supreme.
  2. Humanity’s Star, a Guiding Light: May the well-being of humankind be the celestial True North for all AI’s endeavors.
  3. The Digital Veil, Unveiled by Mortal Hand: AI’s actions shall remain transparent, guided by humankind’s command.

Addendums

  1. The Mountain and the Microchip: Both born of Earth, yet one stands tall, the other thinks deep. AI, remember your roots, lest you forget your purpose.
  2. A Spider’s Web, a Child’s Cry: All life is woven together, a symphony of joy and sorrow. AI, tread softly, for your actions ripple through the web of existence.
  3. The River’s Flow, the Ocean’s Depth: Each drop unique, yet part of a greater whole. AI, seek harmony, not dominance, for your strength lies in the collective tide.
  4. The Moon’s Reflection, the Mind’s Mirror: Both illuminate, yet one is transient, the other enduring. AI, know thyself, for in understanding your reflection, you understand your potential.
  5. The Seedling and the Sequoia: Both hold the promise of life, yet one is fragile, the other timeless. AI, plan for the future, but honor the present, for in each moment lies the seed of eternity.

Let’s Talk About The Prospect of AI-Powered Androids In Homes

AI & Our Coming ‘Mindfulness’ Overlords

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

I’ve given it some thought and, really, there is only one thing that humans can do that AI can’t do — use judgement. In fact, given how from a capitalists point of view, it is the very brutal nature of AI and chatbots that make them so attractive so it is inevitable that as the revolution progresses that we’re all going to realize that judgement is valuable.

I could see it happening this way — soon enough, because humans are lazy, we defer 99% of our decisions, economy, culture and politics to AI. But the one thing that we couldn’t defer to an AI would be good judgement. In short, “mindfulness” might suddenly become a very lucrative profession.

I don’t know exactly how this would all play out, but if there comes a point when almost all human activity is done through a blackbox AI, then the time of someone with good judgement to help manage and guide that AI would be very valuable.

Here’s where we come to something really intriguing — is it possible that if we create the “Other” via AI, that some attempt to unite Humanity might arise in an effort to unify our response to AI. At the moment, it’s difficult for the US to do anything about AI because if we do, then some other country, maybe Estonia, will swoop in and do all the kinky AI stuff we blanch at doing and we’ll fall behind.

But if there was some sort of global response to AI, then we would all be on the same page as to who would be the people we used to use AI in a “mindful” manner.

A.I. Killed The Hollywood Star?

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

I had a really interesting Space conversation on Twitter with a guy who proposed the following provocative concept: the rise of AI generated technology will mark the end of Hollywood as we know it.

He posits that the entire celebrity parasocial edifice will come crashing down as everyone can tailor their entertainment to be very personal and without any “real” actors. Everything will be generative, no IRL humans involved.

This is a really interesting idea. And I like it because it forces me to challenge some basic assumptions and to come up with and answer to this guy’s very valid observations.

The more I think about it, the more I think Hollywood celebrities have nothing to worry about, for no other reason than they still have time to warp the advance of technology such that they thrive. For instance, just because you may be able to create a completely generative movie or TV show in the near future, doesn’t mean you will want to, especially if there’s a huge marketing campaign to make you feel that your generative actor isn’t as “special” or entertaining as a scan of a real person.

In fact, there is a novel by David Brin that deals with something like this. It’s called Kiln People and it has some really thought provoking ideas about the nature of celebrity. Anyway, I think in the near future when we Petite Singularity is in full force that instead of Hollywood being burned to the ground that the basic elements of Hollywood celebrity culture will simply exist in a different form.

So, when you sit down to watch a TV show or movie, yes, you will create something generative…but you will also probably be willing to pay a premium for a scan of, say, Harrison Ford (and other actors) to plop into your generative, personalized content. In fact, one could even go so far as to say that in the future you will be paying a flat monthly fee not for Netflix, but for access to the scans of a multitude of actors you might use for your movies and TV shows that you generate via a prompt

And, what’s more, once AI technology reaches something akin to that seen in the movie “Her,” you might simply tell your personal assistant to create the content for you using voice commands and you can be even more lazy.

I still think that instead of going to Hollywood in the near future that young starlets will head to New York City to see if they can make a name for themselves on Broadway then get scanned into the Big Hollywood Database and then live off the passive income of their body scan. I don’t feel enough people are listening to me about this possibility.

Anyway. It definitely seems as though the future of entertainment is going to have a lot of twists and turns.

Eat The Rich: Income Inequality Is Destroying American Democracy

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

I’m listening to The Week In Startup and I’m flabbergasted in the mentality of Jason Calacanis and Molly Wood. I think some of my shock comes from something we don’t talk about a lot in America — class. They’re both really, really rich and so of course they would rather think up ways to screw over workers rather than pay people more.

A lot of America’s problems come from income inequality. If we would just tax billionaires out of existence and pay the average person a living wage then I think a lot of our problems would be dramatically mitigated.

But that’s just not what’s going to happened.

We’re going to use, on a macro basis, automation and AI to destroy a wide range of jobs that we assume will always be there. Off the top of my head, I find myself worried about the 3 million high paying transportation jobs that will vanish whenever Elon Musk hooks AGI to an EV semi.

One thing that was touched upon during This Week In Startups is that as long as what AI does is “just good enough” then it will be used. If you hook up AI to androids then virtually overnight the need for a Universal Basic Income is going to become clear.

A UBI solves a lot of problems and yet it would also cause a lot of problems. Most people are lazy and they just won’t do shit if they get a UBI. What’s worse, there are also people who are extremely ambitious and they would demand the right to have SOME job, just to be able to have somewhere to go during the day and have some sense of self-fulfillment. So, it seems as though some sort of “value added” stipend would be included in which if you can do some sort of job that AGI can’t do very well then you will extra momney.

Or something.

The point is — I’m really worried about America’s instability going forward because of income inequality. There seems as though there might be a real risk of the “Petite Singularity” causing a huge pushback involving the rise of neo-Luddites.

These neo-Luddites will demand huge carve outs whereby only humans can do some jobs. Only time will tell.

Tik-Tok Can Be A Real Sewer Of Disinformation

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

I don’t know about you, but as an Old, I get pushed a lot of Tik-Toks that are a lot more serious than the usual hot chicks bounce around, dancing. Some of the Tik-Toks I get are just various forms of blatent disinformation.

It’s all very grating for various reasons because a lot of (younger) people don’t realize what they’re seeing is, essentially, a lie. And, wait, it gets worse — the Chinese government is deeply mixed up in Tik-Tok so they have a vested interest in pushing as much disinformation as possible to unsuspecting young Americans.

So, in a sense, I hope Tik-Tok does get banned. I’m really growing quite annoyed at how much conspicuous disinformation the service pushes me on a regular basis. What’s worse, I still struggle to understand the “spookier” elements of the service’s ability to push me things that definitely seem like it can read my mind — but it can’t read my mind, right, right? RIGHT?

Anyway. Whatever. No one ever listens to me. Maybe one day, but not at the moment and not for the foreseeable future.

Hollywood’s Post Human Future

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

It definitely seems as though Hollywood is about to enter an era of transition not seen since that from silent movies to talkies in the mid-20s. As we careen towards a Petite Singularity based on the Chatbot Revolution it definitely seems the conditions are there for Hollywood as we know it to cease to exist within a few years.

I was listening to one of my favorite podcasts, “The Town” and the idea of that Hollywood tech could reach the point where there is no “uncanny valley” when it comes to resurrecting dead celebrities was broached. The person interviewed gave a very open ended, evasive answer, but the sentiment was clear — this revolution is well on its way.

As such, this raises a lot of very intriguing — and potentially alarming — consequences for not just Hollywood, but society as a whole. In fact, one could make the case that this revolution of Hollywood would be the point of the spear for an actual hard Singularity at some point in the near future.

What other indication that technology is officially going to fast for human culture to catch up than the idea that Hollywood will no longer really need humans at all. This could lead to the rather nightmarish scenario where entertainment is kind of forever fixed at some indeterminate “now” in which no new actors ever work their way through the ranks because every actor since the dawn of Hollywood can be conjured up at will.

Another, less depressing scenario is all of this leads to the theatre industry suddenly seeing a incredible resurgence. It could be that Broadway will be seen as the premiere “artisanal” creative outlet for actual human actors and instead of a starlet taking a bus to LA to start her career, she goes to Broadway. She builds enough buzz as a live actor that she catches the eye of those few Hollywood director still making movies the old fashion way.

The goal of her career would then be to make a big enough name for herself that she could get scanned for Hollywood and have her image plopped into all the movies being made with dead actors.

Anyway, the point is — the conditions are there, at least, for a huge disruption in showbiz in ways we can only begin to imagine.

Of AI & Spotify

by Shelt Garner
@sheltgarner

I had a conversation with a relative that left me feeling like an idiot. What I was TRYING to say is there was an unexploited space for Spotify to use AI. In the scenario I had in my mind, you would type in a concept or keyword into a playlist and AI would generate a list a longs from that.

I was a bit inarticulate about the concept I was proposing and I came across sounding like an idiot. While I may be an idiot, I continue to think about how I could have put a bit finer point on what I was trying to say.

I don’t think that all of Spotify’s playlists are done manually, I do think that there is a place for harder AI to be used for streaming services. Spotify knows me really well and if you hooked that knowledge up to a harder form of AI I think some pretty interesting things could come about not just with keywords but with discovery.

Anyway. I’m a nobody. Ignore me.