The Singularity of (AI) Shit |
Image by Steve O’Keefe.
On the horizon lies a confluence of catastrophe.
One stream is the wealth-concentrating power of capitalism, leading to existential battles between a small group of oligarchs. They have the proven ability to take over states; no democratic force can stop them. Only revolution can re-set the clock. Then growth will resume, along with the concentration of wealth.
The second stream is climate change. It is irreversible now without causing a major economic disaster. The clear response of the increasingly powerful oligarchs is to burn right through it — to use as much fossil fuel as possible, as fast as possible, before it becomes worthless.
The oligarchs believe that if and when climate change becomes expensive enough, the market will fix it. If it kills off 90% of the people on the planet, they’ll be among the 10% who survive.
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The concentration of wealth can be slowed and even reversed for a time, as it was as a result of the Great Depression and New Deal taxation. But it won’t be stopped. It is as relentless as gravity.
Capital has learned how to capture the state. Representatives will always sacrifice public good for personal gain. If they do not, they are targeted for removal. Officials who refuse to cooperate are set-up, if necessary, and their families and friends are pressured.
AI can........