[JofArnold]

It's already happening with AR; there was a demo on Twitter showing how using Apple's new AR SDK you can just plaster over things you don't want to see. This for me puts AR right up there with AI as a huge risk to society, for precisely the reasons you point out. "Pay $9.99 a month not to see homeless people" "Pay $2.99 a month to see enhanced street signs so only you can find your way quickly" etc

[sbierwagen]

>Pay $9.99 a month not to see homeless people

Better hope that's context-sensitive. Street meth addicts commit enough random assaults and smash enough car windows now, just imagine what they would do if they were literally invisible.

[colejohnson66]

But you’re not forced to use AR. No one is going around slapping VR headsets on people to “hide the homeless”.

[selfhoster11]

You're naive if you think this way. You're not forced to use AR, yet. That's different to never will be forced to.

Smartphones are already all but mandatory for certain locations/demographies. Not owning one carries an immense penalty when it comes to access to government services, banking, and general daily functioning.

[InCityDreams]

....3 hours with my bank and €20 for a token-generator (pass-number generator ) says different.

Even the pass-generator is diffiicult to fiind on the login page....keeps telling me 'not authorised' without the phone ok.

*don't drop your phone!!* Especially when you'll suddenly need it to buy a new phone.

[JofArnold]

This is the crucial point.

[jsharf]

You're not forced to use your cellphone. But society might hypothetically get to a point where it's extremely inconvenient not to.

[ClassyJacket]

You are absolutely forced to use a smartphone. To have just about any kind of job, you require one.

[andai]

Would a dumb mobile phone suffice? Or do they need you answering email while you commute?

[siculars]

Hypothetically? We’re already there.

[guerrilla]

It'd be impossible to live in Sweden without a mobile.

[riversflow]

Just like you’re not forced to use a smartphone, or a car?

[matheusmoreira]

Such technology could also represent a huge improvement in quality of life. Imagine augmented reality glasses with built-in ad blockers.

It all depends on who's in control of the device. It'll be great if we're in control and the technology is used to empower us. It'll suck if the corporations and governments are in control and the technology is used to manipulate public perception and extract revenue.

[edgyquant]

What exactly is this problem with this?

[kbenson]

We have enough of people acting like their own experiences are indicative of the norm or are evidence of something happening or not happening, and using that to spread that message, that making this even easier seems like it would be a real problem.

Are news bubbles a problem? Imagine if people actually block out reality on an even more direct level and what that means to their perception of the world. What if people can opt into trusty AR programs to "show" them the stuff in the world they're missing (the conservative conspiracy or liberal agenda), and those also selectively omit some other things?

[edgyquant]

News bubbles in no way suggest we shouldn’t have the internet. People living in their own AR worlds isn’t an excuse to enact an intellectual dystopia

[kbenson]

I'm not sure who you're arguing against. Where did I say we shouldn't allow AR or this technology? I stated why it might be a problem (which is what you asked for), and why we should possibly pay attention to the negative consequences that might follow.

[bee_rider]

I mean, maybe some people are homeless by choice, but some are due to misfortune and poverty. Using technology to turn a blind eye to poverty in our communities seems bad. Also you may trip over a homeless person.

[6510]

It would defeat the entire point of having them: As an example why to obey. It is not like you cant scale a tax with housing requirements. Could give them jobs too. It would take a bit of getting used to but if the only thing a person wants is drugs their potential productivity could be 10x that of ours combined.

[bee_rider]

You don't have to have a point, to have a point.

[edgyquant]

Appeals to emotion are dumb. Try again

[bee_rider]

You may trip over a homeless person if you can't see them.

Also papering over social problems means those social problems will bite you in the ass eventually. Never underestimate the power of a bunch of desperate people.