The One With AI, Crusade, and a Soviet Cartoon #1
You know how it happens.
When new technology arrives, there's always a tidal wave of excitement sweeping over everyone. People everywhere tell you how life-changing it will be, proclaiming it as the next big thing, the pivotal moment in human history we've all been awaiting.
Then comes the backwash, as people begin to grasp the implications of this new technology and start discussing its consequences publicly. Eventually, government entities step in with various regulations, and things settle somewhere in the middle.
I'm convinced the same cycle will unfold with generative AI, but to me, this new technology feels... tainted. I really hope my nostalgia isn't turning me into a Luddite — or worse. But this tale is as old as time.
In a satirical novel "Erewhon" published in 1872, Samuel Butler explores the evolution of technology. This "evolution" led to the outright destruction of all machinery in Erewhon. The book’s primary argument asserts that machines possess a kind of consciousness that will eventually enable them to reproduce themselves and enslave all of humanity.
A German philosopher, Martin Heidegger, also draws our attention to technology's place in our lives in his work "The Question Concerning Technology" (1954):
He argues that we now view nature, and increasingly human beings too, only technologically — that is, we see nature and people only as raw material for technical operations. Heidegger seeks to illuminate this phenomenon and to find a way of thinking by which we might be saved from its controlling power, to which, he believes, modern civilization both in the communist East and the democratic West has been shackled. We might escape this bondage, Heidegger argues, not by rejecting technology, but by perceiving its danger. — Source
Inspired by both Butler and Heidegger, Frank Herbert included the march against technology in his books. "Dune," written in 1965, features the Butlerian Jihad (named after Samuel Butler), a crucial plot element in that universe. It represents the crusade against computers, thinking machines, and conscious robots, emphasizing human autonomy over machine control:
"We must negate the machines-that-think. Humans must set their own guidelines. This is not something machines can do. Reasoning depends upon programming, not on hardware, and we are the ultimate program! Our Jihad is a "dump program." We dump the things which destroy us as humans!" — Source
I hope we're not there yet, but "Nightshade" is getting uncomfortably close. Listen, I'm all for using AI where it adds value, and I acknowledge its transformative potential in certain domains. Take, for example, how researchers discovered a new class of antibiotics with AI's help. Truly remarkable.
But witnessing how AI is disrupting the internet is disheartening, as I wrote about here:
Valuable content is increasingly hidden behind closed doors, whether it's a paid newsletter, a Discord or Slack community, or a simple paywall. Navigating through the maze of content farms and marketing websites is becoming increasingly challenging, and it's scientifically proven that the quality of Google search results is on the decline. This is why more people are turning to Perplexity, which leverages the very same AI models to conduct searches and provide summaries with references.
So, I'm witnessing the same backwash now with the new Arc Search app, which browses the web for you and generates a new page with the summary of the results. Is it too much? I'd say so.
The story with "Browse for me" in Arc Search reminds me of another piece of folklore, this time a Soviet one — a cartoon titled "Vovka in the Far Far Away Kingdom”, produced by Soyuzmultfilm studio in 1965. It narrates the tale of Vovka, a modern-day boy who lands in a fantastical realm called "The Far Far Away Kingdom".
There's a funny scene where Vovka encounters a duo named "Two from the Case, Alike in the Face," who vow to fulfill his every request. Happy with this arrangement, Vovka, behaving like any typical kid, asks for a lavish spread of ice cream and sweets. With a dash of magic, they bring his wish to life. However, as Vovka prepares to feast, a twist unfolds: since their promise was to do everything for Vovka, they decide to consume the feast themselves. You can watch this scene in Russian here.
Yes, techno-pessimism often leads to more compelling narratives, but I want to remain optimistic about our future because I believe in human ingenuity and progress. However, the next time AI promises us unfathomable goods, we should all, like Faust, remember one thing:
There’s always a twist.