How Do I Live With Knowing Humanity May Be Wiped Out By AI?

How do I live with knowing humanity could end in less than a generation? We each have to find our own path, but here's how I cope.

Pragmatism

Spoiler alert! I'm sharing a secret with you. Sorry to break this to you, but we're all going to die. Every single human alive will, at some point, die. The vast majority of us don't even know how or when it will happen. OK, all of us dying at the virtual hands of Super Intelligent AI at once is a bit gloomy, but hey, it was going to happen somehow.

Humor

I'm a retired U.S. Navy Master-at-Arms Chief Petty Officer (abbreviated MAC). If you've been in the military or have been around people who have, you know most people in the armed forces develop a dark sense of humor as a coping mechanism for some of the challenges military life throws your way. You can check out https://www.veterantv.com/ for a sample of how a twisted sense of humor can help you get through some dark or difficult stuff.

The irony of us becoming so intelligent that we can design something smarter than ourselves, but so stupid that we don't pause our research enough to do so safely, is kind of comical. Maybe more like a Shakespeare style tragic comedy than a Mike Judge, Idiocracy kind of comedy, but comical either way. If you step back and look, it's just kind of funny.

Loving Life

Knowing it could all be over, not just for me, but possibly for all of humanity, and perhaps all of life as we know it on earth, makes me really try to get the most out of every moment! Doing well at work and at home. Continuing work on this blog. Spending time with friends and family. Creating course material for a new Udemy course I'm creating about 3D printing. Putting my new Seestar S30 Pro smart telescope to use and marvelling at the Universe. To the best of our knowledge, we're the only beings we know of that can reflect on ourselves, life, and the Universe in such a way. I'm going to do my best to enjoy that while it lasts.

Doing What I Can

Standing on a soap box with placards front and back, and yelling "The end is nigh!" through a bullhorn probably wouldn't be effective, and might even end in incarceration. Presenting my understanding, ideally without undue hype, through a web site seems prudent. There's no need to fear monger. The truth is almost too scary as it is. I'll continue learning, monitoring, and updating you through this blog. As I'm learning, I'm also looking for ways to become more active about AI safety politically and socially.

A Great Psychologist

My work provides funding for Psychology help, and I put it to good use. It's great to be able to engage a Psychologist any time I feel the need. She has applied the listening skills Psychologists are typically good at, and provided and helped me find great insights. My wife chooses to garden to calm her mind. Whatever helps, do it!

Friends and Family

Of course, I rely on family and friends to help me manage. People from all parts of the political spectrum seem to recognize the risks and support some kind of action once they're informed.

Find What Works

Figure out what works for you and do it!