[superultra]

This felt inevitable which is why it’s not front page everywhere. It also doesn’t help that we’re in a bit of a lull with AI. I was with friends who don’t work in tech and AI came up in conversation at dinner. The general consensus is that AI is kinda dumb but it does a great job helping everyone write nicer emails.

But I don’t think I’m being alarmist when I say that this moment, when the altruistic ideals get suddenly pushed to the side, may be the moment noted in history books before whatever it is that this leads us to happens. I don’t mean evil machines are next, but I do think it’s a cotton gin, telegram over the ocean, light bulb, AARPNET moment. Maybe even more impactful than those. Manhattan project? TBD I guess.

Which is why I believe we’ll regret that we didn’t move slower or enforce more collective stop gaps behind the unbridled force of capitalism and the public goodwill. I’m not a doomsayer but you can’t tell me something isn’t up when this much money is involved.

[auggierose]

Would you have recommended moving slower to build the first atom bomb?

[consteval]

Yes. We used those bombs for evil beyond our comprehension.

I encourage all Americans to further research Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Our propaganda has told us our war crimes were completely justified, but a more neutral historical analysis reveals this isn't the case.