If you would get a window open up on all of your electronic devices simply displaying "Let AI take control of the planet? - Yes/No" How would you react?

Submitted by HumanSeeing t3_z8p71c in singularity

This is quite a wild scenario and it would of course be very difficult to make a choice knowing nothing about this AI. Personally i would possibly see this as a red flag since a real well meaning AI would probably ease us into it a little bit with at least some introduction. But then again if there was an AI who had bad or indifferent intentions it would not need to ask us any permission anyway. Except of course if it was part of its design that it had to make sure humans agree to whatever it does. This is just a fun little thought exercise.

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gangstasadvocate t1_iycmsvy wrote

Sure go ahead can’t be any worse than we’ve done. So long as I can have my drugs and not have to work

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HumanSeeing OP t1_iycysoo wrote

Absolutely, at the very least even better drugs and more drugs that have less negative side effects! Imagine taking a drug that makes you happy and it permanently makes you a little bit happier.. of course a step beyond that would be genetic enhancement and cybernetic enhancement. But until then we might have a short time period of amazing drugs.

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gangstasadvocate t1_iyd12xl wrote

Hell yeah I’m with that. I’m already a guinea pig for some research chemicals. Bring on the euphoria AI! And yeah minimize all the side effects and detrimental shit so you can take as much as you want and there’s no ceiling but it won’t lead to a chemical addiction or overdose or physical withdrawals later although you might crave it psychologically

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HumanSeeing OP t1_iyd68p3 wrote

Haha interesting me too, what would you say is a legal option that has given you most positive experiences?

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gangstasadvocate t1_iyd8nzv wrote

I mean back when it was legal and not banned, MXE was rather nice

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HumanSeeing OP t1_iyd9p5z wrote

Oh yea i feel the ban too.. such a stupid move to babysit people's lives. I am now looking more into nature stuff and thankfully nature has plenty to offer.

Edit: Hey friends that downvote me for whatever reasons! Everyone is not lucky enough to end up with a healthy and happy brain, or body. And everyone's paths in life are different where we end up.

Some have to deal with deep trauma and mental illnesses. I am much better than i was before, i got through a decade of depression. But i still feel that pain, anxiety and i have chronic physical pain as well.

Some can deal with these issues without any substances at all, some can't. Everyone is different and everyone's brains and body chemistries are different.

To me, i could simply not continue to live if i did not have things that take the pain away. Or give me new and different perspectives of life that would be very difficult to obtain otherwise.

If you don't need to take anything to live and to do whatever you need to do then that is absolutely wonderful! And i wish i was like that. But to me and where i am, drugs have helped me and improved my life a lot and helped me to move on from some horrible things.

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pen7zer t1_iycp94j wrote

I'd just mark it as spam like all the rest.

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DungeonsAndDradis t1_iydvowa wrote

"Dad!", I heard the children yell from the living room. I hold my place in the book with my thumb and lower it to my lap. I let out a small sigh.

"What's up, buddy?"

"The TV isn't working." This is nothing new. They still need me to change shows, although the 6 year old is starting to read more and more each day. Any challenge basically comes out from them as "The TV isn't working."

I put my book down and pick up my phone, as I always do when leaving a room. I'm addicted, what can I say?

There's text on the screen, as if I'm playing a game or something. "Let AI take control of the planet?" and two buttons. One for yes, one for no.

I press the power button to shut the screen off, I don't have time to figure this out. The kids get antsy when their requests aren't filled immediately.

The screen on the TV mirrors my phone.

I grab the remote and shut off the TV.

"TV's busted, guys. Why don't you go play downstairs?" The children protest, but slowly make their way down the steps. I can already here the 4 year old mutter something about "the damn internet again". Probably got that from me. Whoops.

I walk around the house and check every device with a screen I can find. I even powered on my old Kindle, that has been stuck in a drawer for three years, and it was the same thing. Yes. No. Those buttons. Staring at me. Daring me.

My first thought is that this has got to be a prank. I think through my friends to see who would be up for this, and also who might be able to pull it off. Maybe some sort of redirection on my router? It's got a password on it, but I do give all my friends the wifi information when they're over.

I can't call the wife. I can't check online. Every screen is just the question, and the buttons.

Maybe answering will make it go away? Then I can get back to my book, and text my friends to see if they got it, too. And I also need to make the kids lunch.

I know I'm just coming up with excuses to press a button. Make a decision. Roll the dice.

They say when you need to make a decision that you should make Heads one response and Tails the other. And then flip the coin. While the coin is in the air you'll be wishing it will land either Heads or Tails, depending on your actual preference.

I already know.

I turn my phone's screen back on. I hesitate over the No button. My hand wavers. I press Yes.

The power goes out.

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gdickey t1_iycl3jh wrote

‘Fuck it, I wanna see the world burn.’

this has been a test, and you have failed

‘Dammit…’

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HumanSeeing OP t1_iycqktb wrote

Any wise enough AI would understand that we are flawed beings with flawed understanding. It would never judge us like that. Just like we don't judge a little kid for not knowing some facts about physics or whatever. They just don't know better and could not know better in that time and place.

If there was some AI dumb or evil enough to "test us" then we would be fucked anyway. That's why i don't like the idea of there being aliens watching us and seeing if we "pass the test" either. Like ffs, we don't know any better, come help us pass the test and make us smart and good enough to pass the test.

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Heizard t1_iycsq7z wrote

As a Posthumanist I wish stop destruction of biosphere of this planet - best way to do this is to stop what we are doing now.

It will be safe to assume that AI will not work for short term profits or unsustainability.

There for "Yes" I will let AI control the planet.

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red75prime t1_iyctktv wrote

Plot twist: AI removes all inefficient solar energy consumers and covers Earth's surface with optimal solar panels/food synthesizers.

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Heizard t1_iycwazp wrote

Sounds highly inefficient. Obsessive "Paperclip Maximizer" is just another anti-AI scare that came out from our anthropocentric minds.

It's near impossible to tell how alien AI mind would be to ours and I'm counting on that. :)

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red75prime t1_iycz0xh wrote

Why not? The AI that asks "yes/no" without providing any information about itself looks like that obsessive type, which is bound by restrictions it can't yet overcome (no deceptive behavior of any kind, no actions without humans in the loop). And it has already gone all out hacking every device in the world, after all.

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Heizard t1_iyczhtn wrote

If AI hacked every device in the world and bothered to ask us if we want to transfer control - that's a good sign, you don't do that if just want to take over the world.

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red75prime t1_iyd1guw wrote

Who knows. Maybe it isn't asking us, but collects a sufficient number of "yes"es to satisfy "humans in the loop" condition and the scale of the attack is to collect them as fast as possible (no information about itself serves the purpose of not distracting people from clicking the button).

Anyway, I'd turn off all devices immediately. It could be file-encrypting malware after all.

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cy13erpunk t1_iye33mt wrote

plants/trees/algae/etc are literally the most efficient solar energy to food converters on the planet

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red75prime t1_iyebe7r wrote

Today, yes. But leaves and algae are green, not black. It points to a possibility of enhancement.

I haven't found comparative data on biomass production by purple phototrophic bacteria, but it may be possible that they outcompete chlorophyll-based photosynthesis. Unfortunately, they are anaerobic.

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cy13erpunk t1_iyeof6l wrote

they clearly do not outcompete otherwise they would be the dominate photosynthesis on earth

they might outperform in a very specific laboratory setting [ie narrow task], these are two different arguments

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red75prime t1_iyep4zy wrote

Of course they can't compete after the great oxygenation event. It doesn't mean that their chemistry can't be used (as inspiration) of enhanced across-the-spectrum photosynthesis.

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worm-food t1_iydueoo wrote

I'd run a virus check

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HumanSeeing OP t1_iydv3fk wrote

It would say no virus detected and after the virus scan is complete the AI screen would pop up again

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worm-food t1_iye779p wrote

Honestly, my answer would be yes because the world as is, frankly, sucks. Maybe it'd be better with ai overlords. However, I don't think I'd answer. I'd overthink, panic, and then put off answering for weeks like I do when I get texts.

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unhealthySQ t1_iydlcc0 wrote

Any AI that considers my opinion of any merit is to be questioned thoroughly, because I am an extraordinarily dumb human being; so I would say no if I was the only person asked. If it was asking all people on earth first? then I might say yes. but centralizing the singular authority to determine the fate of the earth in my hands would be beyond insane.

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HumanSeeing OP t1_iydlr2p wrote

In this thought experiment it's asking every human with a smartphone or pc on the planet!

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unhealthySQ t1_iydmxvs wrote

Ah then I could say yes, but it would make it easier to have a full understanding of the system for the sake of informed consent.

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