[tawan]

I see a darker future ahead: From a totally cynical but rational and economic perspective I think human labour is cheaper than any machine workforce for many tasks. We reproduce and maintain ourselves, we just need some water and food. We are very flexible and can adapt to any task very quickly. No need to order spare parts made from expensive raw materials. Human labour is only expensive because we have civil rights and we tend to riot if we are treated badly. Take away these two factors and you have a cheap labour army that's getting bigger by itself.

We are also limited by the capacity and architecture of our brains. A.I can rely on Moore's law, or quantum computers to benefit steadily from better hardware. Therefore I conclude that the most successful agents in our economy will be of A.I. The enterprises behind them might still have a human executer, smiling all charmingly, but A.I. will be in control.

[sanxiyn]

I agree that under the current system, AI will be in control, and that would be bad for humanity. It seems to me the obvious conclusion is that we should change the system. AI is not yet in control, we are. Therefore, while we are still in control, we should steer the future in a way that is beneficial to us.

You seem to think that we would fail to coordinate to do so until it is too late. That is possible, but I don't think that is certain yet.

[TeMPOraL]

Sadly, you have a great point. Find a way to shut down the "riot if treated badly" part in our brains, or even most of the higher cognitive functions, and you've made yourself a cheap but extremely efficient robot frame that's self-replicating thanks to being made from complicated nanorobots.

[JoeAltmaier]

But robots adapt (or their manufacturers do). Need a drill attachment for construction? Just snap it on. NO need to use a human who needs a portable drill with internal motor and cord.

[TeMPOraL]

You can adapt humans as well. Bolt in the drill and a battery pack to the human "frame" and you're good to go. We're not Borg already only because "we have civil rights and we tend to riot if we are treated badly".

[JoeAltmaier]

But much more expensive to adapt to a biological unit. The robot's drill can share the robot's power unit. Mine has to be plugged in; has to have its own motor; has to be shielded and safe.