We will probably have to switch the internet off at some point in the next decade

[Cherrypi]

I think we might need to temporarily switch the internet off at some point in the next decade to protect us from AI. Is that possible? What do you think would happen?

We could cut the cables though couldn't we? I genuinely didn't know there were actual cables until recently. The US connected cables run from UK off the cost of Co Kerry in Ireland (where Russian submarines were caught snooping) across the Atlantic. So they could be severed, I'm sure there are multiple back ups but somebody somewhere knows how to access them. Let's hope this information is on a blueprint somewhere and isn't stored only digitally! It makes us very vulnerable in a war situation.

Personally I think people have short memories and they think losing the Internet will push us back to the dark ages. There was local and wide area networks for years before the Internet, there were international banks and airlines and ATMs and credit card payments. The Internet could in theory be taken off every phone and personal computer and the world would keep turning if adequate notice was given and alternative systems put in place.

Sky link? (More musk)

Please give me one positive 'exciting' example of what will happen? Seriously because I cannot see any upside whatsoever. Except for the massive financial gains the already filthy rich US shareholders will make. I mean a real human example

Curing cancer

It's large language models, not Putin-Trump-Skynet.

Curing most diseases including cancer most likely in the next 5 years, medicine being revolutionised, AI doctors on your phone, MRI scanners widely available for all

Autonomous self driving cars, significantly reducing risk of drink drivers, drug drivers, elderly drivers, fatigued drivers- road safety vastly improved

Education being tailored to individual pupils needs, students having their own AI tutor who adapts and ensures they deliver their very best outcomes

New materials with amazing properties that could deliver engineering, medicine, power advances beyond our current abilities

New understandings of our planet and universe

Accurate Weather prediction

Humanoid robotics that will be capable of caring for disabled people, doing manual labour tasks 24/7

Is that enough or should I go on? This isn’t about making funny memes or using it to make a FB poster.

Thanks for this, Jen Barber.

You mean there isn't one big plug hidden away in a desert somewhere? 😕

It's dismissive attitudes like this that lead to unintended consequences. You shouldn't be so casual about something that is already having a significant impact on everyday life.

Do you understand that there isn’t an on/off button for the internet 😂😂😂

Oh come on that posters dismissive attitude doesn’t lead to any unintended consequences. The power is held in tech and politics not whether members of the public feel scared

We will have to agree to differ. The cavalier approach to this situation is going to be a huge mistake.

For people with power, yes.

The basic black box that runs the internet is usually located on top of Big Ben. It would be very easy to turn off.

Usually?

Except on Thursdays?

how much impact do you think you have, when you just moan on a public forum?

Tom Cruise will see this, says oh yes, great idea, and switch off "the internet" to save the world?

Zero need for the facetious reply.

Definitely getting IT Crowd vibe from some of these replies 😳.

It definitely won't be doing this. The pharmaceutical companies would have a meltdown.

I'm actually more worried about how the internet enabled lockdown to last for months and months and months. Even ten years previously, it would not have been possible for lockdown to be dragged out as long as it was.

This really made me laugh. We’re talking about them ending humanity but there is no way they’ll want to upset the pharma companies 😂

Who is going to pay for all this? People are losing their jobs due to ai and new positions aren't being created. Who will pay for us to eat, have water, a place to live, medical diagnoses leading to treatment, have a car to drive etc.? Humans will be surplus to requirement. There will be no utopia. Not for us anyway.

Gonna have to start withdrawing cash and stashing it round the flat tbh

Watch this space.

In the meantime search Isomorphic Labs, Alphafold and Demis Hassabis.

I'm honestly not sure how that would work, if at all!

I think the internet will become much less usable at this rate as more and more content is made by AI, which leads to that content degrading.