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Original poster

To not have children due to the potential threat of AI

227 replies

NP101 · 11/08/2023 12:46

I realise this probably makes me sound like a fully paid up member of the tin hat society but I'm increasingly worried about the threat of AI.

It has made me re-evaluate having children as the future looks pretty bleak - I can envisage the internet more or less being unusable in 5 years time and then the subsequent fall out of this - both socially and economically.

I realise I probably would have had similar feelings had I been around in various other points in history and subsequently regretted not having children but this current threat seems even more existential.

OP posts:
Maireas · 11/08/2023 20:30

TheCountessofFitzdotterel · 11/08/2023 18:22

We’re doomed because of overpopulation and we’re doomed because the birth rate has dropped.

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Yes, it seems to veer between both doesn't it? We desperately need migrants/we're overcrowded etc

CloudyMcCloud · 11/08/2023 20:34

Maireas · 11/08/2023 20:30

Yes, it seems to veer between both doesn't it? We desperately need migrants/we're overcrowded etc

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Maybe this is where AI actually helps?

We lower population but it’s not so rough because of AI

inamarina · 11/08/2023 20:40

SalviaDivinorum · 11/08/2023 15:55

Probably because they realise just how precarious it all is.

Something like an Ebola like pandemic and our society will collapse. Covid was bad enough but the mortality rate was very low compared to some of the viruses out there.

Most of my life is behind me and I can't, hand on heart, say I'm sorry. My children are pushing 40 now and neither of them have had children which again I can't say I'm sorry about, although obviously that is their decision.

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But what’s the point in living in fear of some horrible virus outbreak that might happen and the societal collapse it might cause, while missing out on all the good things in everyday life?
I think that’s what PP means. The UK is relatively stable and wealthy. Of course it’s not the same for everyone and there are people here who struggle, but I live in a working class town, not rich by any means, and I see plenty of people out and about, spending time with their kids and enjoying the summer.
When someone doesn’t want to have kids that’s obviously fine, whatever their reason is.
It’s just a shame when someone would like to have them, but convinces themself that the world outside is just too terrifying.

NeelyOHara1 · 11/08/2023 20:46

I'm hoping that a Universal Basic Income will eventually be implemented, funded on a world basis by a world entity that will be allowed to be beyond current economic rules...🙆

NeelyOHara1 · 11/08/2023 20:46

This reply has been withdrawn

This message has been withdrawn at the poster's request

TeamSleep · 11/08/2023 21:23

onefinemess · 11/08/2023 16:37

You are right

I have more than a passing interest in computers and AI. Development of such tech has directly impacted my field of work and will continue to do so, to much greater extent than a lot of other industries. I also follow a few developer forums, although I am not a programmer.

Consider the following.

Our world, more specifically the way we interact with our environment and other people has changed dramatically over the past decade. That rate of change will grow exponentially over the next five years, a decade from now there will be technology which today seems like science fiction.

AI will replace (if you believe to forums) upwards of 60% of all jobs. There is a clear developmental path for this. There are no plans in place for what four billion unemployed people will do or how they will support themselves.

There is currently AI in development which can literally read minds. In tests, the machine learning is about 70 percent accurate. For example, when a person involved in the study though about a chicken sandwich, the AI came up with "putting chicken on bread". Currently the participants have to wear a headset and allow their brain waves to be mapped in an MRI scanner. Can you imagine the implications when this tech is developed further, or even perfected. You will have literal thought crime, considering we currently have the police "speaking to people to check their thinking" the development of this tech is absolutely terrifying. But it is real, and it will be coming to the UK.

Think about the millions of CCTV cameras we have in the UK. Can you imagine each one linked up, with facial recognition capability and linked to a digital currency. The GPS systems mandated for all new cars is nothing to do with safety, its to ensure the state has the capability to track every vehicle. And just like in your phone, the microphone in your government mandated built in SOS system can be activated remotely. Your every move, your every word and possibly your every thought WILL be monitored by the state. ULEZ cameras and ANPR are mass surveillance devices. AI will allow the government to piece that data together in a much more efficient way. This tech currently exists and within five years all those systems will be linked.

And that's just a snapshot of our brave new world. Neither the Bank of England nor the EU have made a secret of the fact that they WILL be introducing a CBDC or Central Bank Digital Currency. This will give the state a perfect record of every transaction within the economy.

So a report on a citizen might look something the following.

"Jo Bloggs, 36 years old, NI# 12345567. Woke up at 06:18hrs, looked at his TicTok account for 11 minutes (insert activity) also accessed pornography (site details logged and videos copied to file. Smart appliances recorded coffee x1, toaster used (both slices) and milk (non dairy) removed from fridge. Smart Meter confirms power usage, also TV remote batteries at 22 percentt. Drives vehicle registration 123 ABC, left his residence at 07:26hrs, proceeded along Main St, (recorded speed 27mph in 20mph zone, prosecution authorised). Continued along Main St, turned left onto M89, proceeded West for 11.5 miles. Entered Drive Thru at McDonalds, transaction #1234 recorded at 07:52hrs, amount £4.95. Vehicle audio confirms Breakfast roll (no ketchup) with Latte. Also recorded in conversation with spouse Brenda Bloggs, 34 years old, NI# 987654. Discussed dinner plans and argued over alleged infidelity on the part Mr Bloggs. (Audio records from phone provider accessed and attached to file, please advise local police of possible domestic incident). Arrived at registered place of work at 08:05hrs. (Late arrival at place of work confirmed by cross-reference to shift times on employee rota system) Supervisor has been made aware via "tellus" system.

Just a window into ten minutes of the average persons day once AI is rolled out country wide.

So yeah OP, the world is about to get very ugly.

Think the above can't happen? 90% of the tech needed is already in place. The Alexia devices, the GPS in vehicles, the SOS system in vehicles, the microphone, camera and GPS on your phone, the camera and microphone in your Smart TV, your Smart Meter, your "connected appliances". It just requires a reliable AI system to bring it all together.

Fascinating but in terms of the blow by blow report on each individual persons life. Who is going to care enough to read that? I don’t care if that info is kept about me because I have nothing to hide. If it reduces crime then that can only be a good thing.

EdgeOfACoin · 11/08/2023 21:38

I don’t care if that info is kept about me because I have nothing to hide. If it reduces crime then that can only be a good thing.

Fine - as long as the government is relatively benign and the laws are equitable. However, that's in no way guaranteed.

BeyondMyWits · 11/08/2023 22:02

TeamSleep · 11/08/2023 21:23

Fascinating but in terms of the blow by blow report on each individual persons life. Who is going to care enough to read that? I don’t care if that info is kept about me because I have nothing to hide. If it reduces crime then that can only be a good thing.

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What if someone has access and changes that info? What if you are flagged as a person of interest because someone has false information? What if AI decides you can't be trusted, so can no longer have a certain job?
You probably don't care because you trust those collecting and storing the data to keep it secure. These will be the same sort of people who published records of police officers with links to MI5 in Northern Ireland.

Hivaluegirl · 11/08/2023 22:04

Don't have children because everything is going to go up and you will be struggling and the child.
What Putin is doing will effect us all eventually

LaSelkie · 11/08/2023 22:14

Eurgh it's just all a bit depressing isn't it? Let's hope
We've learned the lessons from history and we don't descend into another age of darkness. I have similar worries. Although it's more climate related there's a book called Active Hope id recommend. What's the alternative but hope?

Unexpectedlysinglemum · 11/08/2023 22:36

NP101 · 11/08/2023 12:46

I realise this probably makes me sound like a fully paid up member of the tin hat society but I'm increasingly worried about the threat of AI.

It has made me re-evaluate having children as the future looks pretty bleak - I can envisage the internet more or less being unusable in 5 years time and then the subsequent fall out of this - both socially and economically.

I realise I probably would have had similar feelings had I been around in various other points in history and subsequently regretted not having children but this current threat seems even more existential.

I think this is similar to eco anxiety- it's not the kids from western privileged countries that will be impacted first or most by this, Uk kids will be among the most protected

Namddf · 11/08/2023 22:52

SalviaDivinorum · 11/08/2023 16:23

People were much more self-sufficient and mentally and physically much tougher. It's also a much more selfish society

Can you imagine any town or village behaving like the citizens of Eyam nowadays?

No, me neither.

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How on earth could you possible know this? 😂

Daisybuttercup12345 · 11/08/2023 23:14

DaisyAndDonaldDuck · 11/08/2023 13:13

I think it’s probably best you don’t have kids with that level of unhealthy paranoia and anxiety.

This.
Not to mention WW3.

Daisybuttercup12345 · 11/08/2023 23:17

Qilin · 11/08/2023 13:49

AI is something I can't really do much about.
I do my, albeit not huge, bit for climate change at times.
War and the threat of Putin et al isn't something I can't control.

But overall these are big issues that I cannot control.
Over the years I've learnt to try to avoid worrying about the things I can't control and not let myself become anxious other them. Certainly not to the extent it would rule over my life.

It isn't cockiness. It isn't denying there aren't issues in our world - to be fair there are few periods of history where there hasn't been, if any.
It's just most of these issues I have no real control over so why allow it to make me feel I'll and anxious?!

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Yes this is reasonable.

CBAanymoreTBH · 12/08/2023 08:42

ValleyoftheLilly · 11/08/2023 13:04

I’ve used ChatBot AI and it made some pretty serious basic mistakes. Simple maths for example. Misuse of language that changed the meaning significantly and in my field of expertise- when I set it tasks it doesn’t have all the learning through experience so it produces really basic, flat and incomplete information.

You can’t programme for ‘gut reactions’ and those nuances from human to human communication. You can’t programme creativity.

Ai is in its learning phase...the advances even over 6 months have been huge and the extrapolation of that will be at an unfathomable rate

CBAanymoreTBH · 12/08/2023 08:45

Possibly an AI wrought solution will help the planet. But I agree that first there will be massive social upheaval and ultimately a decrease in population.

onefinemess · 12/08/2023 08:50

TeamSleep · 11/08/2023 21:23

Fascinating but in terms of the blow by blow report on each individual persons life. Who is going to care enough to read that? I don’t care if that info is kept about me because I have nothing to hide. If it reduces crime then that can only be a good thing.

Show quote history

My God, how naive.

Do you realise how dangerous your attitude is?

WTF!

OK. The police will arrest you and keep you will be kept in prison for life. Don't worry, it will reduce crime, if everyone is locked up, nobody can commit any crime.

You OK with that?

Your naive "nothing to hide" attitude is fucking sickening.

CBAanymoreTBH · 12/08/2023 08:50

Beezknees · 11/08/2023 13:31

YABU.

I never get why people base their decisions on things that may or may not happen in 50 years. Should we all just give up now then?

I agree with this. Life is always tenuous. Part of the human condition though is denial of this and perceived threats to existence such as climate change & AI create existential angst and feelings that are the equivalent to the street preacher with a sandwich board saying the end is nigh. The end is always nigh. Cheery aren't I 😭

CBAanymoreTBH · 12/08/2023 08:54

Read The Every by Dave Eggers

CBAanymoreTBH · 12/08/2023 08:57

The poster saying "who would care enough to read all that" in response to the poster who provided a day in the life of...nobody would be reading it...that's the point. They wouldn't have to...a person would not be reading it. The entire feed would be processed by automated applications

CBAanymoreTBH · 12/08/2023 09:03

RoseslnTheHospital · 11/08/2023 17:13

The processing speed of AI is the same as the processing speed of any non-AI computer system. If those 20,000 years of calculations started with an incorrect assumption or faulty starting set up then it's not progress. Systems are set up by humans, who frame the issue and the goals/success criteria. Until AI is at the point that it can design its own systems and set its own goals then I am not concerned about Skynet taking over. Even if/when we get to that point, I don't think there's a significant risk of world altering outcomes.

That is referred to as the point of singularity and that is the aim of AI learning.

TeamSleep · 12/08/2023 09:30

@onefinemess wow a bit harsh but ok thanks I’ll reflect on that.

TeamSleep · 12/08/2023 09:36

@CBAanymoreTBH good point thanks. I think in my admittedly naive way I was thinking it would stop little things like people speeding, help police with investigations such as missing children etc. so there could be benefits and if you’re not doing anything wrong then why do you care if tabs are being kept on you, especially if they’re only being read by machines. I appreciate now that’s naive and it could all be messed with and people could end up being locked away for things they didn’t do though.

Sillybanana · 12/08/2023 09:43

I agree with you OP, it’s not looking good for humanity generally and AI is just part of it

BeyondMyWits · 12/08/2023 09:54

I do kind of hate the doom and gloom stuff, it is continual.

But, you know what... if it were not for advances in technology and medicine I'd be dead. So I am going in with some hope for a bright new beautiful tomorrow... as well as a weather eye on those doing the controlling of it all.