@hllizi

Die Leute, die das Internet gemacht haben, haben Neuromancer gelesen. Die Leute, die die GPTs gemacht haben, haben den Wüstenplanet gelesen.

Das waren keine Gebrauchsanleitungen!

@hllizi @nyrath Oddly prescient. But I'm thinking it doesn't just apply to AI: it (or at least the sentiment) also applies to those who blindly take their opinions from the first vaguely relevant news article, or worse an angry Twitter post by someone they don't know, and stick with that, instead of at least putting in a token effort to look at the world critically.

With our communications technology it's very easy to manipulate people.

@hllizi

Its an incredibly insightful book given it was written before we'd even landed people on the moon

@hllizi Bear in mind that most SF "predictions" aren't really predictions of what will happen in the future, but observations of what is already happening. Look at 2nd gen computers in the early 60s, and Whiz Kids management etc.

OTOH, contemporaneous stories do indeed go with the stereotypical "Computer takes over" plot. So Dune's take was more subtle and interesting.

Colossus and The War Machines were like, "What if computers get out of control?"

Dune was like "What if they don't?"

@hllizi
I’m planning on re-reading prior to the release of Pt II of the new film.
Well, re-listening anyway. I have it on audiobook.

ps: I’m hoping someone has the prescience to do a double feature. Preferably an IMAX.
Some might not be able to do it, but I’m retired. I could easily make a day out of watching Dune Pt I & II.

@hllizi Was just explaining this from Dune to my wife today. She has never read SF but lately has been asking a lot about AI and what it means for society. Told her many many SF authors have explored utopian and dystopian outcomes.

Both the kids have read Dune and other stuff, chiming in saying “yeah, mom, you need to read this stuff and you will know what is really happening in the world”. Hope I haven’t unleashed a monster.