While Smallsteps was eating her night snack, she asked me what I found interesting, with the ulterior motive of asking a question she has been pondering, which is how people have evolved from being primitive to what we are today. We talked a bit about nature and nurture (with the latter being a new term for her) and intelligence and the general "you are what you eat" concept that affects our development. We also talked about survival of the fittest and how it isn't just the healthiest or strongest, but also the wisest that have the best chance of survival and of course, procreation.
But it was interesting as we were discussing the shift from tribal communities that provided for each other to farming, and no longer having to rely on each other Smallsteps found that sad. But as I started talking about swapping goods and the trouble with things not being one-for-one in value, she quickly realised that this is where money came in to play a part, and although we didn't go down that road today, it is another point of sadness for what humanity has done with it.
What we did discuss was how once we settled down, the traditional tribal roles started to evolve, but more than that, job roles exploded in number and type. A tribe always on the move had hunters, gatherers, makers, shaman, etc. But a farm starts to specialise, and then there are specialised farms that require specialised skills, and then there are the markets of trade and sellers and buyers, and the many specialised services and the list just kept on growing.
Perhaps the reason that we have been able to advance so rapidly as a species, is not because we are necessarily smarter, but because we are able to put the intelligence we have into specialised roles that complement and compound against each other. And while this has created many issues, it has also been pretty great, because it means that a massive range of skill could be leveraged and people were not automatically thrown into a very narrow set of options. Musicians and artists became careers, rather than hobbies.
But I was thinking on this and was wondering what happens now with automation taking over, because we are going to lose the majority of roles that have been created and even the creative ones, like music and art are being replaced by AI generated versions. For a time there might be some new types of roles created, but for how long before human interaction is again obsolete in those?
And this goes back to my previous (and many others) article about meaning from activity and how once we become irrelevant, we tend to spiral. Forget about the economic implications of the economy fundamentally failing as it stands, because we need to think about how we are to survive as a species when nothing we do really matters to anyone else, and maybe not even to ourselves. This world is too small and resources to few for it all just to be a playground for our whims, and even if it wasn't, I do not believe we would adjust well as individuals or society.
Like how my daughter found it sad that people no longer need to rely on each other like in tribal times, we are entering into a phase where we will be reliant on machines to keep everything going, from the back office to the front, from the first action of the supply chain to the last - it will become more and more automated and we will have no choice but to accept terms, because we as individuals can no longer fill any of the roles. And collectively, we will be even more useless.
It seems to me that this technological drive has fractured the very conditions that have kept us evolving as a species. And while the technology created in the future will keep advancing, that no longer means that we as a species are advancing it. Instead, we become a beta species, unable to support or direct itself, continually degrading until our value is the same as soil.
There are a lot of jobs that most people don't want to do, but what happens when there are no jobs anyone can do? And the problems will occur well before the final human job disappears, because the economic world we have created and the conditions we value and rely upon, are not built to withstand the pressure of even a quarter of the global population to be completely unproductive, let alone a half or more. Maybe the evolution of the human species is a circle, where we have gone from primitive to advanced, but once we become too advanced, we slide back to our primal roots.
I suspect the back nine will play much faster than the front.
Taraz
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This is one of my greatest fears. When that happens, I think everything we’ve achieved up to “today” will be lost. Our freedom traded for comfort.
On this point, I have a slightly different “view.” Surely there will be content and programs developed by computers, or even art galleries featuring works created by AI, cinema, music, etc.... Virtually all creative fields that are today considered achievements we’ve built upon since the days when we made music with a gourd and a stick, or when we drew with stones inside caves to explain an idea—and which later evolved into painting or even sculpture—could be “taken over” by AI. But those same arts or activities that continue to be performed by humans will undoubtedly be more highly valued. In other words, a play performed by humans and developed by humans will be more “exclusive” and have more restricted access. This could be a very important issue. Will there, for example, be first- and second-class cinema? Many questions are plaguing me right now regarding this particular topic, but I don’t think we’re going to “lose” these arts and these qualities to computers.
In this area, we have seen a decline since the onset of the pandemic. Much has been lost along the way. The forced isolation lasting several weeks, and the uprooting of children from the normal and desirable environments for their social development, has reached levels that are practically unprecedented. Today we see that the generations aged roughly 12–18 show a marked difference in this area compared to previous generations. I hope that in the near future there will be an awareness of the need for others for our own existence.
At the end of the day, we are all replaceable. But one thing is certain: even if “our place” can easily be taken by someone else or some other entity, we are unique. We possess a set of genes, memories, and interactions that are in no way replaceable—nor should they be disregarded—for the sake of an inclusive and global society.
We must not give up hope of building a better society. And this does not mean seeking personal comfort, but rather fostering a deeper connection with our close family members, our neighbors, and even the stranger we happen to pass on the street—someone we make a point of “greeting” with a slight nod and a simple smile.
A long time ago—more than 30 years, in fact—I dreamed of starting a family. Having children, a big house, and two dogs. Today, that “dream” feels a little further away. I’d even say it’s been relegated to a reality I don’t see happening in my lifetime. But that doesn’t bother me. When I realize there are still parents like you, who raise their children to be thinking beings, and who let them develop skills that can’t easily be replaced by a book or an app.
And this is what I see. And once the trade is made, it is incredibly hard to go back.
I agree. But I also think that the pool of performers and the quality they can accomplish will shrink, because the majority will rely on the consumption model of the AIs. If that makes sense. The problem with that comfort model is, most will choose it and quality across the board drops.
Well before then. The pandemic just acted as a catalyst to speed it up. I have been looking at these trends for a couple decades, but the pandemic had such an impact because smartphones and screens were already being used as babysitters and for entertainment. With so many stuck at home and fearful of going out, it just amplified the effects. Sad - especially considering that it wasn't required.
Was talking to my daughter about this the other day and while we are all unique, there is also a huge amount of overlap in our behaviours. What makes us special isn't what we are, but what we do.
I think it would be pretty fantastic if the sense of family came back into society, and parents valued their role enough to take responsibility to learn and grow with their children also.
That is manly the most preeminent "issue" in human behavior... That leads "us" to a "I don't care about it mode"
Yes, you are right about it. It came to be much more present when societies were "forced" to focus on screen time ever further. Just made it worse.
This is something, that I believe that is seen has a "thing from the past". Something that society isn't caring much to, and that we are all "gonna pay it" in the future for this bad decision of not putting in the center of our concerns.
PS: Sorry for the overdue in the reply of your comment. I've had some intense days at work.
It's what I was thinking the other day. We follow a track, reach its peak and then we realize that the pursuit we had been following has its severe consequences. Then, WE (in the shape of our next generations) want to reverse the things.
While the automation has taken the place of humans in several realms causing a threat to people's financial status, I feel there has increased the value of several skills. For instance, I have realized that skillful plumbers or electricians are becoming scarce these days
I wonder for how long even these jobs are safe. A lot of the difficulty lays in the lack of standardisation and small spaces, but I think standardisation will happen fast with an AI "overlord" and small spaces are just a matter of time to overcome.
Humans are themselves allowing machines to become overpowered. AI can impose its decisions as long as we are ready to accept them. The irony is we are feeling proud in being control of the machines, in this era.
Pride rarely ends well for humanity.
That's the truth, 😔
Maybe we will see a revival where people go back to analog methods kind of the same way people are embracing vinyl again. It might take a bit to realize the digital route isn't the one we want or as good as we had hoped, but maybe we will eventually get there.
I hope we can work out something that makes people (me is people also) feel relevant in a world where we aren't needed for our production skills.
I agree, because even if we were to go back to the bartering system, I really don't have much to offer beyond manual labor and my days of doing that are getting fewer and fewer.
And even the manual labour - who will need it with advanced robots that can do 10x the amount, 24/7?
Exactly! We are screwed!
While technology has advanced us, I think it may also strip away our sense of purpose and community. It can be difficult to find meaning in our work where machines can do so much.
We aren't even close yet, and already many people are failing to find true purpose.
Technologies will continue to develop, but without human intervention :) People will be given the opportunity to take a break from this race, or they will not be given it.
Yes. The human race. Unless something changes, I don't think it is going to be the technological utopia many believe.
Sir at the same time, I wonder if humans are as easily replaceable as it seems. Even if machines can do things better or faster, there’s still something about human intention, imperfection and shared experience that machines can’t fully replicate Maybe the future isn’t about becoming useless but about redefining what useful actually means.
Sure, as I said in the last article and in many others, we have to redefine what value is. However, look at our track record and current trajectory, and it doesn't look likely that we are going to do what needs to be done in time.
And why do you call me sir??
Ooo that? Am just trying to be more respectful with my words, but am sorry if you didn't find it convenience.
It comes across as disingenuous.
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STOPSpecialisation lost what made us human