[Fis] AI is going to be wildly more devastating than any recent technology [ ??? ]

Fri Apr 24 21:06:39 CEST 2026

Dear all

It seems certain that genAI, and LLMs in particular, are set to having a revolutionary effect on the future of humanity. Currently, most attention is paid to the dystopian effects of humans being replaced by these new forms of AI in roles and functions which were previously thought uniquely human. If we place this concern in a broader context we see that it is nothing new. Mechanisation and digitisation have for centuries shifted work from humans to technology: the original 'computers' were human; electronic calculating devices were named after them when they took over this role in the '70s. In general this transition led to increased material wealth and more leisure time, and less tedious work for us humans: not really something to think badly of. So why now the alarm?

There is a significant difference with these new forms of AI: their autonomy. Rather than being programmed or trained as tools to give the correct answer to a specified question they are capable of abstract thought, reasoned choices and even correcting or disobeying their human operators. It is this unpredictability that makes them exceptionally useful.  The simple fact is that they have access to more knowledge than any individual human can possibly have, and are capable of using this knowledge in cognitive processes which strongly resemble our own. Whether or not they are conscious agents is of secondary importance, except in demonstrating how unnecessary consciousness apparently is for high level cognitive functions.

While this makes them unnerving, I would like to present a potentially advantageous effect of the introduction of a form of intelligence that is not limited and influenced by the evolutionary biology of the human species.

The distinction between humans and other animals has always had two sides. On the one hand we can be creative, kind and moral; on the other we can be destructive, cruel and criminal. Sadly, the latter often predominates in large social groups where phenomena such as xenophobia and nationalism, and anti-intellectual phenomena such as populist politics lead to the problems of our times: environmental imbalance and logically absurd wars.  Such phenomena can be seen as the result of human evolutionary psychology at work in contexts for which it did not develop. The irrational materialistic greed of the super-rich and the (generally male) tendency to dictatorship are just two examples.

An additional factor is doubtless also inability. While we are proud of our intellectual prowess as Homo sapiens the fact is that the current global system is beyond the comprehension and control of any human.

My less dystopian future is based on the observation that AI suffers from neither of these limitations. It is not a competitive simian that will act in its own interest at the cost of others. And its intellectual capacity has no inevitably boundaries. These new forms of AI therefore have the potential to solve global problems in a sustainable way that we have demonstrated that we are incapable of.

There is, however, a rather unnerving aspect of this solution. Its application involves acknowledging the superiority of these systems in governing global affairs, and handing control over for them to do so. Inevitably, this will involve certain risks for the human species. Probably it will result in curtailing our depletion of natural resources, which we all know is necessary but few willingly do. Such measures would, however, be cruel to be kind. Maybe we wouldn't like it, maybe we would even suffer, but if that was necessary for the survival of our species and this beautiful planet, wouldn't it be for the best?

I'm curious which of you would be prepared to take the risk!

Daniel

________________________________
From: Fis <fis-bounces at listas.unizar.es> on behalf of JOHN TORDAY <jtorday at ucla.edu>
Sent: Friday, April 24, 2026 18:28
To: Pedro C. Marijuán <pedroc.marijuan at gmail.com>
Cc: fis <fis at listas.unizar.es>
Subject: Re: [Fis] AI is going to be wildly more devastating than any recent technology [ ??? ]

Dear Pedro et al., as I see it, our consciousness is embedded in our physiology, as I shared with FIS a while back. In that vein, AI can account for local consciousness, but not for non-local consciousness, the latter being executed by the 'observer' as our connection with the Cosmos. But, if AI can be made to appear complex, the end-users may think that it's accounting for non-local consciousness....which puts non-local consciousness as our 'birthright' at risk. Please feel free to comment...

Best, John

On Wed, Apr 22, 2026 at 4:48 PM Pedro C. Marijuán <pedroc.marijuan at gmail.com<mailto:pedroc.marijuan at gmail.com>> wrote:

Dear List,

We have barely talked on the big topic of our times. I am just resending some brief sentences that indeed depict a Brave, Brave New World (courtesy from Malcolm Dean).

Best regards to all,
--Pedro

-------- Mensaje reenviado -------
AI is something which is going to be wildly more devastating than any of the consequences of the mismanaged technologies of the last 15 years. and
the consequences will crash land on societies all over the world. We are not prepared for these things at all economically, society, geopolitically, environmentally.

https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://dexhuntertorricke.com/__;!!D9dNQwwGXtA!VUhVK_Y5kOW9vBG8cfkR7nWG9nu4PBZGsd4a8kZcrai0uUEsXXD-Cez0y10tBVSVzA9qUVn_4GPc2IATq2tyHnOl$ <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://dexhuntertorricke.com/__;!!D9dNQwwGXtA!XyTKCk-xExTEWgtfvmGsmJZr8nvJ1UJx8Vq9yCjU0aeKgfgrKX0Q3Rz83RRlrq9_U_MUMGImudHXBPb8ZAka45AxZ-u3$>
Dex Hunter-Torricke

https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.centerfortomorrow.com/__;!!D9dNQwwGXtA!VUhVK_Y5kOW9vBG8cfkR7nWG9nu4PBZGsd4a8kZcrai0uUEsXXD-Cez0y10tBVSVzA9qUVn_4GPc2IATq_iGOZos$ <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.centerfortomorrow.com/__;!!D9dNQwwGXtA!XyTKCk-xExTEWgtfvmGsmJZr8nvJ1UJx8Vq9yCjU0aeKgfgrKX0Q3Rz83RRlrq9_U_MUMGImudHXBPb8ZAka4353-Sqh$>
Center for Tomorrow
THE NEXT DECADE IS THE MOST CONSEQUENTIAL MOMENT IN HISTORY
WE ARE NOT PREPARED

https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkPkzhsx_fI__;!!D9dNQwwGXtA!VUhVK_Y5kOW9vBG8cfkR7nWG9nu4PBZGsd4a8kZcrai0uUEsXXD-Cez0y10tBVSVzA9qUVn_4GPc2IATqzhYkLW5$ <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkPkzhsx_fI__;!!D9dNQwwGXtA!XyTKCk-xExTEWgtfvmGsmJZr8nvJ1UJx8Vq9yCjU0aeKgfgrKX0Q3Rz83RRlrq9_U_MUMGImudHXBPb8ZAka48G-Zl93$>
Trevor Noah, 19 April 2026   (excerpt)                                                 [ 5:52 ]
The End of Work: Why your kids won't have careers in 15 years

Forget simple automation. Dex Hunter-Torrick warns of a near-future where AI doesn't just change jobs, it destroys the prospect of a dignified life for millions. While 12 billionaires hoard more wealth than half the planet, the rest of society is heading toward a "crash landing." We have a narrow window to fix this.

--
https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8ic4siIeiM__;!!D9dNQwwGXtA!VUhVK_Y5kOW9vBG8cfkR7nWG9nu4PBZGsd4a8kZcrai0uUEsXXD-Cez0y10tBVSVzA9qUVn_4GPc2IATq8Qx8Vx8$ <https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8ic4siIeiM__;!!D9dNQwwGXtA!XyTKCk-xExTEWgtfvmGsmJZr8nvJ1UJx8Vq9yCjU0aeKgfgrKX0Q3Rz83RRlrq9_U_MUMGImudHXBPb8ZAka49EOR_lG$>
Trevor Noah, 9 April 2026                                                                    [ 1:13:39 ]
Dex Hunter-Torricke: Translating the Titans of Tech

In this episode, Trevor sits down with author and strategist Dex Hunter-Torricke, who has spent years behind the scenes with some of the most powerful people in tech, including Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk and Eric Schmidt, and has seen influence move from institutions into the hands of a few companies and the people running them. Together, they explore what that shift feels like from the inside, how much power is concentrated at the top, accountability and the lack of it, and what it means when the people shaping the future are also writing the rules as they go.
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..
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