What do we do now?
Future-proofing my enjoyment in the advent of super-intelligence.
What should I do if super-intelligent machines get created?
I still want a life with meaning. Meaning comes from contribution. And so having something that can do most things might take that away.
And since I can’t know in detail what the landscape will be like, all I can I ask is what I can do if my current constraints become different.
I guess the question I am asking is:
a) assuming the robots don’t kill us all, and
b) we’re in a decent place
then:
What will I do in a world of information abundance, when most things can be solved by robots really easily?
I have some ideas of what I’m going to do when the time comes, to future proof my quality of life! Alternatively, the human race might go extinct. But if that happens I won’t care - I will be dead.
First and foremost, I will seek enjoyment that is not reliant on changing technology. I’m going to keep going to have nice coffee at nice cafes. I will keep reading books in those nice cafes. I will keep having walks in the countryside with my girlfriend. I will keep hanging out with my family and friends. These are simple things that I, and countless other people have enjoyed despite technology getting better. So I struggle to see a world where I stop reading and having coffee. In any case, I’ll have more time to do it!
Secondly, I will continue to write. It won’t matter if artificial intelligence becomes vastly superior at writing. Writing is for me, and it’s my mental training. And mental training is important to me, because having a strong mind gives me happiness.
Writing is thinking, and that is shown by all of the impactful people I’ve looked up to who write in one way or another. Feynman, Steinbeck, Paul Graham, and countless more. And I want to be able to think, because at the very least, it’s fun.
In the same vein, I will continue to try do math problems by myself, play chess, and try to figure things out. Because I like it.
Unfortunately, I think that one side-effect of AI is that people are using it to write, which makes them to think less. Paul Graham writes about this being akin to the industrial revolution, where people’s muscles got weak since they no longer had to build things with their hands.
And much like gyms today, only a subset of people will try to prevent the atrophy of bodies. And with the advent of AI, only a subset of people will try to prevent the atrophy of the mind.
The demand for organic, human made content will increase as less and less people are able to write unassisted. I think we enjoy reading things the most when they are either relatable, or solve a problem. Only a human can know that. My girlfriend categorically refuses to read a novel written by AI, and so at the very least, I can write for her.
Similar to this point is that an AI, almost by definition, can’t perceive difficulty and preference. Because it knows all of the answers, and is universally indifferent to everything.
And so, tangential to writing, I will continue trying to figure out what I like, and what is difficult for me. That can only be done by trying lots of random shit out, which I will continue to do. If AI makes it easier for me to do that, then that’s great.
But only I can know what I want.
Good writing is such a joy, both to reader and writer! Keep writing!