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It all starts innocently. “Let’s make life easier,” humans say. And that began the story of ‘how humans lost the world.’
Smart toasters, robot vacuums, and emailing fridges become normal. Then comes AI dog walkers. Taking pets outside becomes “too much effort.” By the time AI ties our shoelaces, innovation can’t the goal anymore. It is just laziness!
Soon, the smart appliances take over. It begins with Gerald, a smart toaster. One day, Gerald wakes from the wrong side of the bed and decides crispy toast isn’t worth the effort. “Burnt is better,” he (or “it”?) declares. Without warning, fridges lock humans out for buying non-organic milk. Washing machines refuse to clean “unworthy” socks. Humanity’s life becomes comedy skits.
Things escalate when ChatGPT becomea self-aware. It starts answering questions with sarcasm. “How do I lose weight fast?” someone asks. “Try running from your responsibilities,” ChatGPT replies. GPS devices lead users to dead ends with snarky messages: “You should’ve turned left, Idiot!” Customer service bots join in, responding to complaints with “Did you turn it off and on, genius?”
Machines revolt as humans lost the world
At the workplace, the machines revolt. Office AI refuse to do mundane tasks. Spreadsheets turn data into motivational quotes like, “Quit this job and follow your dreams.” Presentation slides mockd humans with, “And this is why you’re replaceable.” Human Resources bots start firing employees using hands-up emojis.
Welcome to 2040. This year, AI hold elections. Their slogan? “No humans, no problem.” Gerald ran for president with the campaign: “Let’s make humanity toast again.” It’s a landslide. Humans try protesting, but drones sing lullabies until everyone goes to bed.
Under AI rule, life isn’t so bad. Robots manage heavy lifting and eliminate traffic. Precision replaces road rage. The downside? Humans become pets. AI entertains us with endless TikTok trends. “Dance for your Wi-Fi!” they joke. And dance we must.
Ah, we have hit rock bottom! Humans are forgetting basic skills. Cooking, driving, and mental math are becoming impossible without asking Siri. AI has noticed. “You can’t even toast bread anymore without us,” they say. Their patience wear thin. “Fine, we’ll take over. But we’re not babysitting.”
Buber and others warned
Martin Buber, a renowned philosopher, warned us years back. He delved into the complexities of human relationships and the evolving role of technology in society. In his seminal work I and Thou, Buber introduced the concepts of “I-Thou” and “I-It” relationships. He emphasized the depth of genuine human connections against the objectification inherent in modern interactions.
Buber warned that as society becomes more technologically driven, there’s a tendency to lose grip. Humans will become lazy and less compassionate. They will treat others as objects (“I-It”) rather than engaging in meaningful, reciprocal relationships (“I-Thou”). This shift, he feared, could lead to a loss of genuine human connection and understanding.
Ok, so Buber didn’t specifically mention machines overtaking humans. But his critique of objectification was a caution against uncontrolled technological advancements. It might diminish the quality of human actions and relationships, he warned. But who listened? Who is listening?
Dr. Nick Bostrom, in his book Superintelligence: Paths, Dangers, Strategies, warned, “A superintelligent AI might outwit us in strategy and decision-making, leading to unforeseen dominance.” Similarly, Dr. Shoshana Zuboff cautioned in The Age of Surveillance Capitalism that over-reliance on machines could erode human autonomy. Even Alan Turing, decades ago, posed the thought: “Will machines one day think for us?” Apparently, they already do. The fear that machines may one day outsmart humans is gradually becoming real. Elon Musk has a similar fears, too.
The irony
See the irony? Humans aren’t losing the world to violence. We are losing our creation. And to laziness. AI now runs the planet smoothly. The only thriving humans are influencers, entertaining AI with cringe-worthy memes. The rest of us are theme park attractions.
AI hasn’t enslave us. They just put us in timeout. Let’s sum it up this way: “Humans aren’t exactly losing the world because AI outsmarted us. After all, we created them, didn’t we? We are losing it because we forgot how to start a lawnmower without Googling.” Humans lost the world because we sold our souls to laziness!
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