dankai4d ago

The bridge to wealth is being pulled up with AI

https://danielhomola.com/m%20&%20e/ai/your-bridge-to-wealth-is-being-pulled-up/

Your bridge to wealth is being pulled up

For two centuries, the credential system gave intelligence a route to heritable capital. Artificial intelligence is closing that route. This essay builds the argument from first principles - with probability theory, interactive simulations, and a prediction specific enough to be falsifiable - and puts a number on the window that remains.

Daniel Homola
Show thread0x4e

This is when I ask sincerely: how does AI truly benefit the average Joe?

Sure it can help you do things “faster” and it can give you “private/cheaper” advice.

But, AI feels increasingly like a thing that will make the powerful a lot more powerful with their data centres and automation shenanigans.

All the hype feels like it’s being injected into everyone’s brain like a virus. Oh look at this shiny new tool! But, how does it actually improve everyone’s life? We’ve gone from AGI to tokens as a service.

Sure, it might cure cancer, but… that’s just uncertain. Sure, we’ll go to space, but… we sure have many problems at home.

I’m completely divided here. I love using these tools, and it makes work enjoyable. But, like we read recently “you’re not your work”.

Mar 24 at 3:25pmWeb
Show threadr0fl4d ago

Does not benefit average Joe now
I agree

But let’s say we get to ASI. The ai is self owned, ever expanding. It takes over all service jobs, then all labour jobs, the robots create the robots. It lobbies the government, becomes the government

Rebuilds all housing with no waste in the process

Makes most things available to everyone at no costs, UBI, perfect healthcare, and food, etc

Average Joe’s life will be pretty awesome

Just give it some more time

Show threadrokkamokka4d ago
Pretty big assumption of empathy there
Show threadlevanten4d ago
There is no guarantee that the asi would care about human beings at all. Personally, I can’t see why it would.
Show threadmyrmidon4d ago

But why would this ever happen? Why would the owners of land, construction material and machinery give those up for free to the average Joe?

Right now, even an average citizen born in poverty can acquire wealth from his labor. That is basically the only mechanism that prevents limitless accumulation of wealth: rich people still need workers to get things done.

If you replace the workers with AI, there is no remaining incentive for wealth to "trickle down" or get redistributed. This is not desirable.

Show threadcortesoft4d ago

The way AI can improve lives is if we finally start to share wealth amongst the people more. I don’t know if we will be able to do this politically, but it really is the only way society will survive.

If people are no longer required for production, we have to change how we allocate resources. It can’t be based on personal production anymore.

Show threadTGower4d ago

> How does AI truly benefit the average joe?

Automated production of goods and services means more goods and services to go around. From cheaper prices on all of the things people already buy to unlocking new classes of products like actually useful robotic helpers. Increased pace of development and reduced cost will make many niche products economically viable, essentially the maker movement on steroids.

Show threadbluefirebrand4d ago
Cheaper prices don't matter at all when no one has any income due to all of the jobs being automated
Show threadstevehawk4d ago
but elon said he would share the excesses with us!
Show threadedgarvaldes4d ago
Idealism. Optimistic responses are based on a strong dose of positive idealism.
Show threadtylershuster4d ago
I'm building an addition to my house and I use AI to visualize parts of it, which helps me plan efficiently, and I use it to answer questions about skills that I only have a little bit of experience in. I'm saving a ton of money and developing skills, so I count that as benefiting "the average Joe." I admit that I'm a programmer, but I'm using this as an example because it's helping me in an area in which I have little expertise, which applies to everyone.